The Sleeping Curse
by A Peridox
Summary: In a far away land, long ago, lived a King and his fair Queen. For many years they longed for a child, and their wish was granted. A child was born, and his name was Noctis. Sleeping Beauty AU with a twist.
1. Chapter 1

_In a far away land, long ago, lived a King and his fair Queen. For many years they longed for a child, and their wish was granted. A child was born, and his name was Noctis. Noctis, a name that meant the night. Despite the name, he filled his parents with joy, and created a new hope and light for the kingdom. Days after his birth, the King invited people far and wide to join him and his wife in the celebration of the new prince._

The sun slowly rose over the plains and fields of the kingdom of Lucis - the new day would start. Gradually, people flooded the kingdom of Lucis, from royals to nobles to commoners, all whom brought their gifts to the young prince. Different colors and cultures of the other kingdoms added varying shades and hues to the monochrome kingdom. Soon the gatekeepers blew their trumpets, signalling the beginning of the ceremony.

An announcer bellowed, "The royal Highnesses of Tenebrae - King Ravus and his younger sister, Princess Lunafreya Nox Fleuret!" Said king and princess arrived towards King Regis Lucis Caelum and his queen of Lucis, with Ravus and Lunafreya politely bowing. The original rulers had originally planned to form a friendship with the kingdom of light, but Etro had other plans for them, as Ravus and Lunafreya's mother and father passed away. The young man had to ascend the throne somewhat rather early in his life. But now that Noctis was born, Ravus, with the consent of his sister, proposed to the king that she be betrothed to the little prince so their kingdoms could be united. The queen guided the young blonde princess towards the cradle that housed little Noctis. As Lunafreya peered into the crib, she smiled a little as she saw him sleep peacefully covered in blankets.

The trumpets were blown once again, declaring yet another arrival of some rather important guests. But instead of coming from the grand entrance of the castle, three figures apparated from the ceiling, a gentle light enveloping them. The three figures slowly glided down until their feet touched the floor, "The Guardians that are bestowed by the Great Etro herself to the kingdom of Lucis."

Three men stood before the monarchs, and bowed as the announcer railed off their names: "Gladiolus Amicitia," a brown-haired, tall, broad-shouldered man who donned black; he looked as if he could fight a daemon with his bare hands. Two scars ran down his face - there was no doubt that he had his fair share of battles.

"Ignis Scientia," a man whose hair was lighter in comparison to his bulky companion's; his gloved hands adjusted the position of his glasses, and wore a rather elegant black suit.

"and Prompto Argentum!" a man who looked a bit younger than the former two; his face was covered in freckles, and he had light hair. He too wore black clothing, although his clothes seemed to be less formal in comparison; his smiled from ear to ear.

The three Guardians walked over to greet the small prince in his cradle, "Hey there little guy." Gladiolus was the first to speak.

"Aww," Prompto cooed, cupping his hands together and then giving the small baby a pat, "he's pretty cute lookin'. I kind of just want to poke his nose."

"You will do no such thing, Prompto." Ignis warned, pushed Prompto away from the crib lightly.

Gladiolus, "Iggy don't be so stuck-up, I'm sure the King will let us hold him, right?" He turned his head towards Regis's waiting for confirmation. He chuckled at the three, "Yes. Yes you may."

Prompto gently picked up the baby and held him as the other two surrounded him to get a good look. There was a tiny tuft of black hair that sprung from his head.

"Kid's going to do a good job, I just know it." the broad-shouldered man commented.

"Given that he takes the lessons seriously." Gladiolus and Prompto snickered a little, Ignis always seemed to be overly worried about the little details, but that is what made the other two adore him. Prompto put the small child back and quickly joined the other two as Ignis and Gladiolus briskly walked into front of the king and queen once again.

"Your Majesties," Ignis bowed once again, "Us three Guardians are allowed to give three gifts. One each, of course." Regis and his wife nodded in acknowledgement.

Gladiolus was up first, and approached the cradle once again, kneeling down and wearing a gentle smile on his face, "Young one, I grant you the gift of courage and strength - two attributes needed not only for a powerful king, but a proper king as well. He needs such courage to lead his people on justly." And with a flick of a wrist, a glittering sparkle fell on the young prince, sealing the gift.

The bespectacled man approached the little bed, kneeling beside the large man, "Dear prince, I bestow you the gift of perception and sympathy - a king needs to be able to understand his people, after all." Prompto snickered, it was just _so_ Ignis.

Lastly, upbeat blonde approached the cradle, "Little dude" Ignis rolled his eyes at that, "my gift will be-"

But before Prompto could finish his sentence, wind howled and opened the grand doors with ease despite their size. Thunder bellowed, lightning shook the castle and mist covered the grand hall. The queen grasped onto her husband's arm, fearful.

As the mist settled, there stood a tall man with a cane, and a crimson colored bird swooped in and landed on his master's shoulder. He was covered in a long black robes that touched the floor, but seemed even longer as you could not see his feet. His robes was accented with peculiar patterns - one that looked like vines with thorns. They were colored with a mix of snowy white and deep crimson. On top of his robes, he bore a 'capelet' of black and grey feathers. He donned a black fedora-like hat, and his mahogany locks framed his face. A flash of malice was painted on his face.

"It's Ardyn!" the blonde gasped, his mouth making an 'o', "What in Etro's name does he want?"

"Hush!" Gladiolus quieted his companion, waving his hand.

"Why hello there, dear King Regis!" he feigned a bow and snickered, "It's such an _honor_ to be here. It seems you've invited the whole lot!" His amber eyes narrowed, scanning the room, "You've invited the neighboring kingdom, nobles, the gentry, and," he faked a gasp, "even the Guardian faeries of Etro. How cute." He smiled sinisterly, and the king and his wife swallowed, looking grim, anticipating what Ardyn may say or do next.

"I was …. Rather devastated," his voice lulled, "when I found out I wasn't invited to the celebration. I mean, who wouldn't want to see the little _brat_?"

Regis frowned at the horrid comment, but Gladiolus fumed and pointed at him, "It's because you obviously weren't wanted!" Ignis and Prompto quickly held Gladiolus back before he could do anything reckless.

"I wasn't wanted? Oh my... I better be on my way then." He made an exaggerated sigh and turned around, heading for the exit.

"And you're not bothered by that, Your Excellency?" the queen questioned worriedly, as Ardyn turned his head and glared right back at the queen. He then turned his body fully as to face the coupled monarchs fully once again. A smirk was on his face, and Ignis's eyebrows furrowed, suspicious that nothing good would come next.

"Of _course_ not, my dear Queen! If anything, I think it's only appropriate to give the little prince a _gift_." he said as he leaned forward, focusing on the baby. The three Guardians stanced themselves, ready to fight.

"Listen well, because I'm only going to say this once!" Ardyn boomed, stabbing the marbled floor with his cane. "The prince will grow up well, strong, healthy and intelligent. But before the sun sets in his eighteenth birthday, he'll prick his finger on a spinning wheel, and die!" He roared as everyone was visibly shocked.

"Seize the bastard!" Regis ordered, and with that his Kingsglaive knights rushed towards Ardyn.

"Idiots! As if I'd let you catch _me_!" Ardyn roared as black and white flames enveloped him. He cackled away as the vanished into thin air, leaving no trace of the discolored embers.

The three looked at the king and queen, who looked solemn and felt as though nothing could be helped.

"Your Majesties, if it helps, I still haven't given my gift yet." Prompto piped up, a slight optimistic lilt in his voice. The queen looked up and stared back at him, as if to say " _Please."_

"Can you lift the curse?" Regis asked sadly, but with a hint of hope.

Prompto frowned, "No not really. I'm not nearly as … experienced as Ignis and Gladiolus, and even then I don't think they could remove it entirely. But I can change the curse."

The forlorned king nodded, "Then my dear boy, do what you must." He gave the blonde Guardian a reassuring pat on his shoulder. "Do whatever you can. Anything to avoid a ... tragic death."

Ignis and Gladiolus pushed him towards the cradle, "Well, go on. You can do it."

Prompto knelt down besides the cradle once again, sweating. He hoped he didn't mess this up and accidentally do something _worse_. He wasn't nearly as proficient as Gladiolus or Ignis, since he was much newer in comparison to the two Guardians. He sighed, hoping that with his luck, he'd do some good.

"Little dude, even though this wicked man put your life in his hand, I hope that my gift will save you so that instead of death, you sleep. But do not worry, this curse has a key, and I make it so that the key to your awakening is a true love's kiss." And with a flick of a wrist, the gift was bestowed upon the young prince, forever destined to sleep if such consequences came around.

Although the deadlier part of the curse was removed, the grand hall of the castle held an aura of despair; No one could be sure that Prince Noctis would be safe.

* * *

On that night, King Regis ordered everyone in the kingdom to burn their spinning wheels, afraid for his son and did not want to take any risks. The only visible thing in the night was the enormous bonfire in a part of the kingdom where all of the wheels were burnt to a crisp. Back in the castle, three men were in a room thinking.

Ignis walked back and forth, contemplating on how to stop Ardyn's curse from happening. "What riff raff!" he exclaimed, hitting the wall beside him, startling Prompto a bit as he clung onto Gladiolus's arm.

Prompto, "We stopped it as best as we could, Iggy. Besides, Ardyn's way more experienced in magic, of course he'd make it irreversible."

"But we could always do better," Gladiolus grimaced, "it would've been better if he just didn't show up at all."

"Well no duh!" the freckled blonde retorted, giving his buff friend a light smack on the arm.

"There must be some way we could avoid it from happening at all." Ignis paced back and forth, his hand on his chin and deep in thought. An idea sparked in his brain, and he snapped his fingers, "I've got it."

"Well how about that? What's the plan Ignis?" the brawny man smirked.

"We'll just- Wait." Ignis paused, looking around him, "We should do this in private, make sure absolutely no one hears us." Prompto gave him a confused look, but the brown-haired man beckoned, "This way." And with the power of his magic bracelet, he was gone - except he wasn't and instead he became the size of a fly, and flew over to an ornate decoration that looked like it could house a private conversation. Prompto turned to Gladiolus, as if to say " _I'm supposed to do that?"_ Gladiolus nodded in response, and copied Ignis's actions, and headed towards the ornament. Prompto shrugged and followed suit as well.

Once all three of them were in, Gladiolus shut the ornament's 'door'. Ignis waited, and then proceeded to speak, "It's rather simple. We just have to whisk Noctis away. Ardyn already knows that Noctis is living in the castle, and he probably assumes he'll be there his entire life. But what if we took him away and lived with him somewhere rural, where no one could see? We'd have to explain this to Regis of course and…"

"So we would live with him?" Gladiolus questioned. Ignis nodded, "Precisely. We will pretend we're his adopted family."

"And what about us?" Prompto said, "Do we _really_ just pretend to be this kid's family for eighteen years and after that's over we go to him and say ' _Noctis, your entire life is a lie! We're not your family! You're actually a prince!_?'"

Ignis sighed, "Well, when you put it like that…"

"I think it's a great idea," Gladiolus said as he put his hand reassuringly on Ignis's shoulder, "It might be silly, but he's less likely to encounter Ardyn if we shield him away. And when the time comes, we'll just drop the news as gently as possible."

"Indeed, just as Gladiolus said. But with that in mind," the light brown-haired Guardian started, "We too will need disguises." Ignis waved his hands and worked his magic; In an instant, the three were wearing different clothes.

Gladiolus donned a leather jacket with a black tank top, and dark-colored jeans. Ignis's outfit did not look too different, but he wore a white dress shirt with a pair of slacks with suspenders. He still kept the dress shoes on, however. Prompto wore casual baggy pants with plenty of pockets, and wore a red tank top with a fashionable vest.

"Sick." Prompto commented, clearly pleased with the wardrobe change.

"And with our clothes changed, we need to make an adjustment to our lifestyles as well." Ignis put out his hand. "Put them here."

"Put what there?" Prompto questioned. "The bracelets you dope." Gladiolus smiled as his took off his bracelet without worry, "We probably shouldn't use magic while we live with Noctis. It'll make it easier for Ardyn to locate us if we kept using magic."

Prompto stuttered, "B-b-but I've never learned how to live without magic," keeping his bracelet hand hidden, "and you guy don't know how to either!"

"Well we can start learning now." Ignis replied as he tried to reach for Prompto's bracelet.

Prompto shook his head as he ran around trying to avoid Ignis. The bespectacled man sighed, Prompto could act like such a child. He pinched the bridge of his nose, "Gladio, would you mind…?"

Gladiolus responded by picking up Prompto and putting him over his shoulder firefighter-style as Ignis took the bracelet.

He shoved the magic bracelets into one of his pockets and said, "Now we must tell the king and queen."

The three left the ornament 'house' and returned to normal size, quickly looking for the king and queen.

Deep into the night, three hooded figures departed the kingdom of Lucis. The trio had received permission from Regis to take away Noctis so they could keep him safe. He and his wife watched with a heavy heart as the three Guardians left the courtyard. He would miss so much of Noctis's life. But Regis knew this was a better option; it was better to never see his son in eighteen years than for him to be subjected to potential torment and curses. Nonetheless he still shed a few tears.


	2. Chapter 2

The trio of Guardians wandered throughout the land of Lucis, be it plains or fields or desert or forest. But nothing they found was suitable, as it was either too close to civilization or too out in the open. It was even more difficult with little Noctis around, as the poor babe would cry quite a lot; it seemed as if he was just a naturally fussy baby. The trio had to also make sure to conceal the child's face when going into shops to get supplies, lest anyone recognize him.

But one day, Gladiolus spotted a rather heavily dense forest that was near a lake. Although Ignis was skeptical as to whether anyone lived there, Gladiolus assured him that there was nothing that was too close by that would bother them. He stated that he scouted the area previously while the other two were sleeping at their campsite.

They walked into the forest, and as Gladiolus said, it was incredibly thick, and it almost seemed difficult to navigate around the forest without getting lost. But soon they came upon a small clearing with a little house close to the center. It seemed almost too perfect.

Cautiously, Ignis entered the mysterious house first - the first room he came upon was a living room. Everything seemed to be covered in a layer of dust. Not even the chairs and sofa were spared. The careful man inspected the rest of the house, only to come back to the front and tell his companions that it was clear. Prompto cheered, happy that they could finally stop walking. Unfortunately his loud whoops of celebration woke the little prince who was sleeping in Gladiolus's arms. The large man desperately tried to calm the wailing baby by bouncing him up and down gently, and soon he stopped and started laughing instead.

"I think you have a natural talent with kids, Gladio." Prompto complemented, patting him on the back. Gladiolus merely smiled back.

"If that's the case, then Gladiolus will be on baby duty while I clean the house." Ignis stated. He whipped out rag from his pants pocket, and began his cleaning spree. It was almost unnatural how quickly and how perfectly Ignis was cleaning. Then again, Ignis would not be Ignis if he didn't do everything perfectly to the decimal.

"Uh... what should I do?" Prompto asked, stopping his cleaning frenzied friend.

He put his hand to his chin, "Well, you could take inventory of what's in the house. And then go to the market and buy said supplies."

"Aww… but the closest market is, like, three miles from here!" The blonde whined.

Gladiolus, "It's not that far."

"Says you!" Prompto retorted as he crossed his arms with a huff, "You're the brawniest out of all of us, and you like running."

"It's the only way you'll get stronger." Gladiolus stated teasingly, even though it was true.

Prompto subjected to his job and ran out the door, but quickly ran back in because he realized he had no Gil. Ignis sighed and placed 20,000 Gil into Prompto's hands.

"Now under no circumstances do you spend that on anything else but supplies. Also, you shouldn't be running to the market without checking the inventory."

"Riiight… my bad." he said as he checked the kitchen room.

Hours later, Ignis was finally done with cleaning. Prompto already ran off a long time ago to the market to retrieve some kitchen supplies, food, and bed sheets. Oh, and a cradle. Surprisingly, the house was well furnished and did not lack too much. There were four bedrooms and one bathroom on the second floor, enough for the three of them and the prince. The living room had a large couch and two armchairs, complete with a rug and a medium-sized TV. The kitchen had a simple sink, six counters and a stove and oven. No dishwasher was seen. Overall, the house was neither too small nor too large. It had just enough space to let everyone everyone relax comfortably.

The time was 5 o'clock in the evening, and the sun was starting to set ever so slowly. Gladiolus and Ignis waited patiently for their blonde haired youth to return. Little Noctis was awake and looking around at his surroundings. Although he had not spent a very long time with the three Guardians, Noctis assumed that they were his parents; they spent enough days to imprint on him and permanently become a part of his life.

He gurgled happily when he saw Gladiolus, and grasped at the air.

"I think Noctis wants you." Ignis handed the baby over.

"Hey squirt, how are ya doin'?" The baby laughed in response. Gladiolus grinned, "I can't wait until the day you get old enough for me to teach you how to fight. It'll be like raising my own student."

Ignis snorted in response.

Footsteps approached the house, and Prompto barged in with a lot of shopping bags. As soon as he entered the house, he dropped all of them and fell on the floor, panting heavily.

"Never. Make me. Do that. Again!" He huffed, taking deep breaths in between words.

Ignis pulled out everything from the shopping bags and inspected it, making sure Prompto didn't buy the wrong item. Thankfully, Prompto completed the job without fail.

The trio spent the rest of the night filling the cabinets, making the beds, and making dinner. Of course, this was the first time any of them were mortals - so the concept of making food was a bit … new to them. After a brief discussion, it was determined that Ignis would be the one cooking, provided that the other two did household chores as well. From then on, the Guardians and their adopted 'son' began their new life.

* * *

After three years, life as commoners was becoming progressively easier. Ignis proved formidable in cooking, and within the last few years, he quickly became an expert. He even started his own garden right outside next to the house. Unfortunately, he learned early on that the little prince was not very fond of vegetables, but that only made Ignis more determined to plant more. Gladiolus would hunt for meat, taking down any creature that could be used to cook. Occasionally Gladiolus did go to the market for food as to balance out the amount he was taking from the forest. Even Prompto would join him on the market spree, but as Gladiolus quickly figured out, it was just an excuse for puckish blonde to gaze at the various young ladies at said market. Sometimes he would even get the courage to flirt with the women; some received those compliments well, while many did not, and Prompto would come home with a red mark across his face.

As for Noctis (aptly named 'Noct' to remove suspicion that he could be the prince), he had already mastered the art of walking, talking, and, well, using the toilet. He was incredibly attached to his Guardian family, adoringly referring them as 'Iggy', 'Glady' and 'Prom'. He discovered that his favorite animal wa the chocobo, which he received a stuffed toy of one on his second birthday. From that day on he carried it everywhere with him and dreamed to see one in person. He also discovered that his favorite color seemed to be from the darker spectrum, despite Ignis stating that it was unusual since children of young age tend to have an attraction towards bright and garish colors. It would seem as if Noctis was the outlier.

While Noctis was allowed to play outside once in a while, he was not allowed to go outside of the gate's perimeters. Noctis never understood why he wasn't allowed outside, even when Ignis told him that they keep him inside because it's incredibly dangerous.

"But Iggy, _you_ go outside all of the time, with Glady too." The raven haired stated adamantly.

"That's because we're much older; we are wiser and understand the consequences of going outside of the house. The forest is filled with dangers that one as young as yourself could not handle. When you've grown, we'll walk with you around the forest." He explained as best as he could.

To be quite honest, not a lot of the words that Ignis said processed thoroughly in the little prince's mind. The most he got out of it was that it was just a scary place. But Noctis, even at the age of three, was a stubborn child and was determined to find out what was so 'scary' out the outside world, when they weren't looking of course.

Later into the evening, when the sky was painted with a mix of orange, pink and purple, Noctis found the opportunity to breach the household's gates. While the three were preparing for the night's dinner, Noctis (rather somewhat clumsily) sauntered over to the fence's gate. But before he could open the gate to freedom, large and heavy footsteps came after him, and soon he found his body being held up by Gladiolus.

"Up we go little guy!" Gladiolus said as he held the frowning prince in his hands. "Where do you think you're going?"

The little boy crossed his arms, "I want to go outside! Iggy says it's all scary and stuff but I don't see why!"

Gladiolus held him as the child clung onto him like a koala, rubbing his already-wild hair around, "Because, Noct, there are a lot of beasts and daemons that could hurt you. And we don't want to lose you - you're very important to us. But one day, I'll teach you how to fight off those monsters, but only when you're a big boy. Do you understand now?"

Noctis nodded back, "Yes Glady." Gladiolus responded by rubbing his back, and then took him inside where Ignis set the plates of food on the dinner table.

Noctis now understood why he was not allowed outside, and for the sake of his family, he promised to himself that he would not break the rules. But one day he'd be able to venture outside. One day.

* * *

Years rolled by and soon enough, Noctis was thirteen, and for his birthday, Gladiolus finally gave him his first sword lesson.

The brawny warrior handed his young pupil a wooden sword he carved himself, and began his lesson. Noctis was elated - he finally got to learn how to use a sword! And soon, he'd be able to go outside on his own! Together, Noctis and Gladiolus trained until dinner was ready. From that day and so forth, the brown-haired Guardian would teach his adopted son the ways to the sword, and additional other survival skills. Occasionally, he would surprise Noctis with a different weapon, such as a lance or a dagger. Noctis proved to be proficient in those arms too, but seemed to favor the sword overall.

The year flashed by, just as easily as the previous years. Noctis sat patiently at his bedside, waiting for the signal to be let downstairs. According to Prompto, Ignis and Gladiolus went to the market to get something, and for some reason he wasn't allowed to be downstairs until they came back. The perceptive prince assumed that Ignis and Gladiolus were going out to get his birthday present, but he had no clue why he had to stay upstairs to do that. Bored, he stared outside. From what he saw, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary; the grass was green, and wind wasn't blowing too hard, and the vegetables looked as if they were doing rather well.

Suddenly, there was a crash, and Noctis looked for the source of the noise. His eyes looked to the left, and what he saw seemed to be … a very large bird? It was yellow and rather large, and covered in frivolous feathers. It had a medium-sized orange beak, and durable legs. It disregarded the mess it made of the gate, and started poking at the ground, searching for food. Yellow, large and feathered … Bird-like… Noctis had no idea wha-

It clicked in his head. Of course! It was a _chocobo_ , his favorite animal. Noctis frantically rushed outside of his bedroom door and ran downstairs. _A chocobo! A real life, authentic chocobo!_ He couldn't contain his excitement. Whatever Prompto and Ignis and Gladiolus were planning had to wait.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Prompto was waiting for him, tapping his foot.

"And where do you think you're going, Noct?" Prompto said teasingly. "You have to go back upstairs until Ignis and Gladio come back!"

"Now's not the time Prompto!" the black-haired boy said, trying to push past his somewhat scrawny parent. "There's a chocobo outside of the garden! Right now!"

"Really? Oh shi-! I mean, shoot let's go!" he exclaimed, running out the door with Noctis. As they reached the gardens, they both looked around until they heard a strong squawk coming from the carrot patch. It was just as Noctis saw earlier, it was the chocobo!

"I'm gonna go pet it." Noctis announced quietly, "Make sure you get a picture! Ignis and Gladio will be really surprised." He stalked off as Prompto gave him a thumbs up, and then proceeded to prepare his camera.

Noctis scurried around, trying to be quick and silent. He felt like one of those ninja characters from the show that Prompto watched during afternoon television. What was it called? _Natsuto? Naruko?_ He couldn't remember, but he couldn't think about that now. The chocobo was right there, right in front of him!

Before he could get too close to the large avian creature, the chocobo noticed him and made a loud _Kweh!_ and shook its feathers wildly. Noctis tried to calm the poor startled bird but it only continued to make more noise. At this point Noctis would not be surprised if Ignis and Gladiolus arrived right now to help him with this mess.

"Ignis! Gladio!" _Speak of the devil._

The two Guardians ran over, one of them carrying a very heavy object wrapped neatly in tissue paper and a golden bow to top it off.

Ignis, "What on Etro's earth are you doing? Why is there a chocobo in the garden patch? It's ruining the vegetables!" He frantically tried to shoo away the giant bird, but it only continued to make more of a mess as it ran around the garden.

Although they felt bad, Gladiolus, Prompto and Noctis couldn't help but laugh a little. It was such an odd and funny scene to them. Wildlife rarely bothered to come near the house so it was quite the shock for them to see an animal in their yard, especially in this context.

Ignis fumed, "Will one of you please help me out of this predicament? Why is the bird here in the first place?" Ignis's face was a beet red, and Prompto only laugh harder.

"Oh man, dude!" Prompto cried, wiping away tears and clutching his stomach, "You should look at yourself right now!"

Still giggling, Noctis piped up, "It somehow broke into the garden, and I wanted to see if I could pet it."

Gladiolus, "Well you're not going to be able to pet it if it's running amok like that."

Noctis stuck his tongue out, like as if what Gladiolus said wasn't obvious enough. The brown-haired warrior merely chuckled.

"Give it Gysahl Greens, they really like that stuff. I think I actually have some somewhere…" He searched his pockets, and lo and behold, there were Gysahl Greens. "Prompto and I passed by a chocobo ranch a couple of days ago, and I guess I had leftovers." He handed the greens to the teenage boy.

Noctis approached the frantic chocobo carefully and gently. As soon as the waft of Gysahl Greens filled the air, the chocobo stopped and took a whiff of the air and it saw Noctis approach him with the greens in his hands. Instantly, he started nipping at the teenage prince's hands for the green.

"Ow ow ow!" He cried, as he tried to avoid the nips. Eventually the chocobo grabbed onto a green and wolfed it down quickly. Using the brief respite, Noctis quickly felt the chocobo's feathers; they were surprisingly silky and soft. But his respite was cut short as the chocobo squawked more, begging for more greens. Noctis laughed and complied, and fed the giant hungry bird. It gobbled the greens and cooed happily, and then proceeded to trot off, jumping outside of the gate and back into the woods.

Noctis turned around, "Prompto! Did you get a picture?" Prompto nodded, and the raven-haired teenager jogged over to see the picture.

"That's a pretty good picture." Gladiolus commented. Prompto couldn't agree more. Ignis sighed, looked back at his destroyed garden. He would have to uproot all of the plants and till the fields again.

Noctis, "Ignis, I'm sorry that the fields got destroyed. I'll help you redo it, if you want." Ignis smiled slowly; he couldn't help but think about how quickly the boy grew up. He was maturing well, and just as Gladiolus said all of those years ago, Noctis Lucis Caelum was growing up to be a fine prince. It almost brought a tear to his eye. Almost.

"Noct, I'll have to take you up on that. I would appreciate it very much if you helped." He put his hand on Noctis's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"But before you guys start that," Gladiolus announced as he showed off the large wrapped gift, "you have to open up your present first! Happy Birthday Noct."

Prompto, "It's from all of us, buddy. I think you'll like it."

Noctis looked at his present, it was quite heavy, but he could hold it. Placing it on the ground, he untied the bow carefully, as if the destruction of the bow would destroy the entire gift, and then took off the tissue paper. His light blue eyes lit up instantly. It was a sword, with a long and elegant blade that was the color of mythril. Instead of a hilt, there was some odd mechanical device. " _Perhaps an engine of some sort?"_ He mused. Noctis looked up at his three surrogate parents; there was a twinkle in his eye.

"Thank you… Gladiolus, Prompto, Ignis. This was probably super expensive." The young prince mumbled.

"Yeah it really wa-" Ignis covered Prompto's mouth before he could finish the sentence.

"It's no big deal, really. We're just glad we found something you liked." Gladiolus said, ruffling Noctis's hair.

"You guys … are the best parents a child could ever have."

And at that moment, all three men could have sworn they felt their heart ache.

* * *

"Etro _damnit!_ Where is that boy?!" Ardyn thundered as he destroyed a nearby statue with his cane. His goblin henchmen quivered in fear; they have never seen their master so furious before. There were times where their quirks irritated him to a point of setting some of them on fire, but he was never this enraged.

"It's been _eighteen years_ , and we haven't been able to find him! He's no longer in the castle, and yet we've searched far and wide and still _no trace of him_! It's absolutely impossible for him to have completely _vanished!_ " the mahogany-haired witch declared as he kicked the rubble in frustration.

"Y-your Excellency, I-" croaked a goblin.

" _What?!_ Are you sure you checked every nook and cranny?" the man fumed.

"Y-yes, Master! We checked every place possible…!" a henchmen whined.

"The palace, the towns, the fields, … " One bickered.

"... And the forests and the caves and the cliffs and the mountains…" Another cried.

"A-a-a-and all of the cradles!" Another squawked as it motion it rocking a crib.

"Yeah yeah yeah!" The goblins agreed in unison, nodding their heads.

" _ **Cradles?**_ " Ardyn yelled. He lowered his voice, "Did you hear that Ifrit, my dear pet? The fools said they looked in the _cradles._ " He enunciated the word as he grit his teeth. "It's just … _hilarious_. All eighteen years, they've been looking for _child_ , an _infant_ no less!" He spiraled off into a maniacal laughter, clutching his chest and shedding tears as if it were the funniest thing on the planet Eos.

Nervously, the henchmen chuckled and joined in the humor, and then started laughing uncontrollably along with their bewitched master.

But Ardyn stopped his laughter abruptly, "Fools!" He struck lightning at a small group of goblins as they fled desperately. "Idiots!" As he struck another group, setting some on aflame and some into dust.

"Begone! Leave you wretched mistakes of henchmen!" He roared as he practically set the entire room on fire, not giving a damn if his henchmen roasted to death.

Ardyn sighed heavily as he sat down on his black marble throne. "My dear Ifrit… Why do I even bother with those failures?" The bird merely cooed in response, offering its sympathy. "Yes, of course, why didn't I just do it myself?"

He stared at the bird as Ifrit hopped onto his arm, "Ifrit, you are absolutely my last hope; you have to go find the prince so he can fulfill his prophecy. Find Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, a young man whose hair is dark as the night, but skin as light as the stars. Hurry, and do not come back until you've succeeded." And off the bird went, beginning its search for the missing prince hastily.


	3. Chapter 3

It was weeks before his eighteenth birthday, and for some reason, the number eighteen had some special importance to Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto. Noctis had no idea what could possibly be so special about the number eighteen, but he figured he would ask once his birthday rolls around. The young man pushed himself out of bed, ready to start the day. He put his clothes on rather sloppily, but readjusted them when he was finished. All black, just the way he liked it. He went to the mirror in his bedroom and squirted some hair gel into his hand, and messed with his hair at the back of his head, making it flare. He headed to the bathroom, washed his hands to clean off the gel, and quietly went downstairs. Only Ignis was awake, who usually woke up so early to prepare for breakfast.

"Morning Ignis." He greeted his spectacled friend, waving his hand.

"Good morning Noct." Ignis replied, still looking at the breakfast he was making. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, just like every other night." Noctis said contently as Ignis smiled. "Ignis, I, uh, I'm going to go out."

"For a walk?" he questioned, adding salt and pepper to the omelette he was making. "If that's the case, then make sure to take your sword with you. And be careful. Oh, and don't wander too far, and don't talk to strangers."

Noctis rolled his eyes. "Yes _mom_." He stated teasingly as he grabbed his jacket and sword. "I'll see you later." And out the door he went.

Ignis snorted at the comment; oh how time flies. He couldn't believe eighteen years have already passed. Soon, the young man he considered his son would become prince, and marry Princess Lunafreya. Despite his usually stoic face, Ignis greatly enjoyed being a parent, and he wasn't sure he was ready to give up Noctis quite yet. But Noctis wasn't his to keep, and he would soon have to give up his fatherly instincts and treat him as an equal - no, as a superior. He sighed at the thought, thinking that Gladiolus and Prompto most likely felt the same way.

* * *

Sword in its sheath, Noctis wandered the forest alone as he listened to the sounds of nature. The sun's rays hit the forest, providing the glade a sense of warmth. Noctis sighed, taking in the air. He loved being outside, there always seemed to be something new to see or hear. He continued walking rather aimlessly until he hear an unusual noise.

It sounded like … _singing?_ Was someone else in the woods? He never heard or seen anyone besides his foster family in the forest. He started to feel excited, giddy with the idea that he could meet someone else but his household family. Ignis's warnings disappeared in the back of his mind, not caring about his safety for now, he was too exhilarated.

He followed the angelic singing, trying his best to navigate the woods. As he got closer and closer to the source of the noise, he walked slower, not wanting to scare the thing that was making such a beautiful tune. He pushed the bushes away, and took in the scene.

A person, no, a _woman_ was singing at the lake while cleaning her sword. She had the most unusual color of hair - it was a pale pink with varying shades of rose. How odd. Although the raven-haired prince never saw many people in person, when he was younger he would peek at Prompto's magazines that contained various pictures of women. All of them seemed to have relatively 'normal' colored hair: different shades of blacks, browns, oranges, reds and blondes. No pink was to be seen, so Noctis assumed the young maiden's hair was dyed or something of the sort. There's no way it could have been natural.

The singing woman wore an unusual outfit; she wore a short black jacket or vest of some sort with buttons on both sides, with a cobalt pauldron on her left shoulder and a fancy decoration next to it. In addition to her black pants, a belt sat on her hips, with suspenders at her sides. A knapsack was attached to her leg, and she wore a deep red cape that trailed behind her. " _A knight?"_ He thought. She looked so majestic, ethereal, _unreal_. He was in awe; Noctis was afraid that if he blinked she would disappear.

Sitting beside her was a chocobo of an unusual color - it was white! A white chocobo, with shades of green dabbed here and there on the avian beast. On its back was a saddle; the young prince assumed the chocobo belonged to the woman.

As he tried to get a closer look, his foot slipped and he fell into the lake, startling the rose-haired woman and the chocobo. The bird squawked as the woman lifted up her sword: "Who's there? Show yourself!"

Noctis rose to the top, his hair matted to his face. The young woman lowered her sword, but still kept herself on guard. She had heard rumors of people living in the forest, but it was never totally confirmed. But in front of her, stood the first bit of evidence that might confirm the rumor.

"Who are you?" she asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Wordlessly, Noctis could only stare at her; she was much prettier up close. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of blue-green, and her lips were a pale pink. "Are you going to answer, or am I going to have to consider you a threat, and cut you down?"

Noctis gulped, despite her lovely singing from early, this woman was _scary_. He stuttered, "M-my name is Noct. I, uh, I live here, in the forest that is. Sorry for scaring you, miss." He got up, trying to make himself look a little more presentable, but he was soaked to the bone, and could only shiver nervously.

"Oh." Was all the woman could say. She reached into the bag that the chocobo had on its back, retrieved a towel and wrapped the poor, drenched man. "Sorry. I assumed you were an enemy spy or something. No one really lives this far out here."

"It's fine, really. I haven't seen anyone like you, much less as beautiful- Uh, it's just odd for us to get outlanders here." He stuttered, blushing furiously. He had no idea why spoke what was on his mind instead of just keeping it inside.

A faint tinge of pink crept across the woman's face as she tried to ignore the compliment. "Who's 'us'?" The woman asked quizzically. "You live with other people?"

"Yeah." He sneezed, "Me and my family: Ignis and Gladiolus and Prompto. They've all taken care of me since I was a baby." He sneezed again.

"Oh. We should probably get you some new clothes. You'll catch a cold if you keep wearing them. Here, give me your shirt." The maiden held out her hand.

Noctis's cheeks changed into a rosy red; He's never been shirtless in front of a woman before, even though Gladiolus did tell him of the birds and the bees, and that being shirtless was perfectly acceptable. He had no reason to be embarrassed, but he was regardless. Regretfully, he took off his soaking jacket and shirt, leaving him exposed to the wind. The rose-haired woman wrung out his wet clothes and stuffed them in the bag. Noctis wrapped himself in the fluffy, slightly damp towel and stopped shivering. Lightning smiled to herself, amused by the young man's shyness at taking off a shirt. Most men she knew would have no qualms about showing off their body. In a way, she found his nervousness cute, but did not show it.

"Feeling a bit better?" She asked. Noctis nodded. "Then let's go, we're going to launder your clothes and get you some dry ones."

Noctis, "You don't have to do that. It's okay really. I can just go back home and get a new change of clothes."

She frowned at him, crossing her arms, "Are you sure?"

Noctis was deep in thought, did he really want to go back? This was the first person he's seen that wasn't his foster family his entire life! But the reasonable side of Noctis tried to convince himself to leave; he had no idea who this woman was. For all he knew, she might take him away and keep him hostage. He shook his head - she did not seem like the kind that would do that; if she wanted to abduct him, she would have done so already.

"Actually, I think I want to go with you." Noctis announced. The woman looked at him passively, and nodded. She then motioned for him to get onto her chocobo.

Now, Noctis had never ridden a chocobo, but he assumed it was like riding a horse - which was something he and Gladiolus did when he was little. Rather clumsily, he put his left foot on the stirrup, and hoisted himself on top of the white bird. He would have fallen off if the pink-haired woman didn't help him keep his balance. Once he was on the chocobo, she climbed on with ease, holding the reins in her fingerless-gloved hands. Noctis wrapped his arms loosely around the maiden, unsure if she would be okay with the physical contact, but she didn't seem bothered.

"Come on Odin, off to the market we go." She squeezed the chocobo's body with her feet and off he went, running like the wind.

"Wow" The raven-haired prince murmured to himself. To think that he would be able to ride a chocobo! He was absolutely elated. He looked at the woman; she was entirely concentrated on her goal, not bothering to make small talk.

"Um." Noctis muttered to himself. The woman hummed in response, acknowledging that he wanted to say something. Noctis shivered; when he really thought about it, he has never talked to anyone but his housemates, and because of this, he never really learned how to talk to anyone else but them. The thought put him on edge, afraid that he would say something stupid.

"What's your name?" He asked shyly as he stared at the back of her head.

"... Lightning." She muttered.

"Pardon?" He asked, leaning in closer.

"It's Lightning." She responded again, bluntly.

 _Lightning_ , just like the element. It was fast, strong and fleeting. He definitely felt like the last two traits fit her; he had a feeling she was strong, especially if she was able to walk around the wildlands on her own with just her chocobo and her sword. And fleeting - that's what Lightning might have been if Noctis blinked when he watched her; he was afraid that she was merely a fragment of his imagination.

"Thank you Lightning. You, um, didn't really need to do this."

She shrugged, "It's nothing really."

Lightning did not say anything else on the way to the market; Noctis figured she wasn't much of a small talker, which was fine because he used the time to take in his surroundings. It was his first time going outside of the forest. There were mountains, plains, deserts. They even passed by a gas station. For the first time, Noctis saw the pavement of the road, and the incredibly fast mechanical vehicles known as cars. They were fast and noisy, just as Gladiolus said.

The chocobo riders soon arrived at their destination. It was a market district near Lestallum. Lightning jumped off Odin and tied his reins to a post, even though she didn't really need to - Odin was loyal to her, and only her.

Lightning headed towards the laundromat when she turned around to find that Noctis still didn't get off Odin. She sighed, so maybe he was sheltered but was he really this incompetent?

She walked back towards her noble steed with Noctis still holding on, clinging onto the wild bird for dear life as the avian creature tried to shake off the black-haired prince.

"Can you really not get off Odin?" She asked unamused.

He chuckled nervously, "Well it would be easier if he wasn't jumping around." As he said that Odin kept squawking and jumping, attracting all kinds of attention.

"True," She smirked as she crossed her arms, "But I'm afraid that Odin won't stop jumping. You'll just have to jump off yourself."

Noctis shivered, he didn't want to hurt himself, what would he tell Ignis when he came back? " _Oh yeah I fell off this mysterious woman's chocobo. And yes she was a stranger but a really attrac-"_

He turned his head, heat creeping up his cheeks. Where was he getting these thoughts? He only just met the woman. He shook off those feelings. He'd have to ask Prompto later.

"Okay, I'm going to get off Odin." He announced, his arms shaking.

"Then do it." She challenged. Noctis grunted as he tried to find the best position to get off the bird. He flung himself off the bird while it was still jumping.

When Noctis jumped, Lightning had a feeling he would not land well enough without getting seriously injured on the stone ground. Doing what any honorable or chivalrous person would do, she put out her arms so she could catch him, and Noctis landed right into her arms.

Noctis looked up at Lightning, then down at the ground, and then back up. His cheeks became rosy with embarrassment and he stared into her face until she asked with a slightly bored tone, "Can I put you down now?"

Noctis scrambled out of her arms and onto the ground, and picked himself up as he wiped off the dirt from his already soiled clothes. Lightning sighed once again, this young man was quite the character.

"S-sorry." He muttered, scratching the back of his head and looking away.

"It's fine. Now let's go." She said, deadpanned as she headed towards the laundromat once again, with Noctis at her side.

As they walked, Noctis took in his surroundings. The marketplace was full of life; people were walking and talking, hustling and bustling, all minding their own business. It was sort of amazing, just how many people could be concentrated into one area. He felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb, since he wasn't wearing a top. He couldn't help but see that some people were staring. Some looked at the dark prince sourly, disapproving of his rather disheveled look, while others seemed to swoon over the topless man. He swallowed uneasily, and continued to look straight on, ignoring the passersby. They arrived at the laundromat, with almost all of the washers and dryers full. Luckily there happened to be a few that were not occupied. Lightning threw the towel and Noctis's jacket and shirt into the washer, and added the laundry detergent. Finally, she closed the machine's door.

She turned to him, "Normally we'd wash your pants too, but I'm not going to embarrass you more than you need to be." She put in 20 gil, and started the machine. Forty minutes.

Lightning, "Come. We're going to get you some clothes too." She beckoned, "Do you have any gil on you?"

Noctis, "Um… Yeah I do." He joined her at the door, and the two walked outside again together. "How come you paid for the laundry services?"

The rose-haired woman shrugged, not answering, and took him to the nearest clothing store. As soon as they entered she quickly found a chair to sit in, "Go find yourself some clothes, and don't take too long." She ordered casually.

Noctis, "You're not going to help me?" he voiced, confused. He thought most women enjoyed shopping. At least that's what Prompto said to him when he was younger, but now he could see that that was not the truth.

Lightning sneered, "I don't know what your fashion tastes are like. Besides, I don't do the shopping thing." She leaned back into her chair a little, and crossed her legs. It was clear that Noctis was on his own for this. He wandered around the shop, unsure of what he should pick out and buy. He didn't really know what to get either, and it's not like he really picked out his own clothes. After all, Ignis and Gladiolus did most of his clothing shopping; they would usually pick something that had his favorite colors and something casual.

"Can I help you sir?" A high-pitched voice squeaked. He turned around to see a young woman in a deep magenta blazer, white blouse, and a magenta pencil skirt. She wore her hair in a braid, and her face seemed to be almost caked in makeup.

"Oh, um, yes please. I just don't know what clothes to get." he said, scratching the back of his head. At least the shop attendant didn't comment on the fact that he was shirtless.

The lady giggled, "Well, I know for certain that we need to get you a shirt!" _Nevermind._ "Do you have a preference to the style or color of clothing?"

"Uh, just something casual I guess. And I like black." Noctis replied. "And I need pants too."

"Of course!" The attendant said cheerily and she took him around the shop.

At the side of the clothing store sat Lightning, watching the event unfold. She mused over what happened the past hour and a half. The raven-haired man was hiding behind the bushes for some odd reason, and he fell into the lake. He stated that he lived in the forest along with three other people, all who she presumed were men because of the masculine names, but wasn't too sure. And he seemed to be knowledgeable but inexperienced with the ways of the world. She put her hand to her chin. How odd. Lightning couldn't help but think she was actually dragging around a homeless, crazed vagabond. But she doubted that, he did have money after all, and wasn't begging to her for money. She also speculated that he could have been lying about him and his family living in the woods, and was actually a runaway criminal. She shook her head at the thought; no, he was too naive to pull something like that. Or was he? The suspicious thoughts clouded Lightning's mind, and she decided she would seek out his home and his family, and watch him for a little bit. Just a little bit.

Lightning stared off distantly, letting her mind wander again until she saw something inside one of the jewelry cases. She got up to take a closer look, and peered into the case. There stood a shining blue crystal attached to a silver chain. To say it was beautiful was quite the understatement; It was _magnificent_. Lightning looked up and saw that the shop attendant was still trying to find the perfect outfit for Noctis. It looked as if they already went through hundreds of combinations. She glanced at Noctis, who looked thoroughly worn out. She laughed to herself quietly. Even though he was clumsy, odd, awkward and a bit naive, she found that they had something in common at least, so maybe he wasn't as unbearable as she originally first thought. She waited patiently as Noctis sorted through the clothes the lively young woman gave to him to sample. Finally, Noctis got her off his back, and started selecting his clothes.

The shop attendant left him alone, and walked to the cash register until he noticed Lightning standing at one of the jewelry case tables.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked politely. Lightning nodded and pointed at the blue crystal necklace. "Certainly!" The woman said cheerily. She took the item to the cash register, with Lightning following suit. As Noctis finished choosing the clothes he would change into, he headed to the register and saw Lightning purchasing the necklace.

"What did you buy?" Noctis asked curiously.

"A necklace." She replied bluntly, handing the attendant the payment. Noctis stared at her hoping to get more of an answer.

"For yourself?" He asked. Lightning snorted in reply.

"Do I look like the type to wear such things?" Noctis laughed a little at her response.

"No," He replied, "But you are wearing a necklace right now." He pointed to the lightning bolt-esque necklace.

"That one is an exception." She replied bluntly as her cheeks grew a bit rosy. Noctis chuckled again, not pushing her further. Once she was done with her purchase, Noctis put his clothes on the counter.

"All black?" Lightning asked.

The young man nodded in response, "Black's the way to go. It's a simple color, nothing too bold or garish. And everything seems to go with it."

"Simple." Lightning parroted back, "Simple is good." Noctis smiled back as he handed the cashier the gil. It would seem as if their shopping spree was a success.

* * *

As they headed back to the laundromat, Noctis asked, "So what do you do for a living?" He felt he already knew the answer but he wanted to see what her answer was.

"You're a smart kid, what do you think?" She teased, smirking at him. She took the clothes and towel and moved them to the dryer as she awaited his answer. It didn't take him that long for him to come up with an answer.

"You're a knight aren't you?" He answered confidently. Lightning threw the gil into the machine and started it.

"Not bad, you're not nearly as dumb as I originally thought you were." The maiden said mockingly.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" The young prince retorted, crossing his arms. Lightning only smiled.

"Take it as a compliment." She replied simply as she sat down in one of the many chairs the laundromat provided, arm draped around one of the chairs. Noctis sat down next to her.

"What makes you think I'm dumb anyway?" He whined. Lightning shook her head, teasing him was quite fun.

"You just, have this look, I suppose." She suggested, "I don't know. Maybe it was just the first impression you gave me. But you proved me wrong anyway."

He breathed noisily, taking his eyes off of the taunting maiden as he crossed his legs and arms. Noctis looked the other way, tried to avoid eye contact with Lightning. Unfortunately, he could not stray away for too long, as he caught something at the corner of his eye. Barely turning his head, he investigated to see what was going on. The pale rose-haired woman was fingering the bag that held the necklace she bought. Why did she buy that necklace anyway? He wanted to ask, but the last time he tried asking she ignored his question, and therefore assumed she would do the same again.

She saw him eyeing the bag and sighed, "Why do you want to know why I bought this necklace so badly?"

"Because," Noctis turned around to face her completely, "I want to know more about you. Ever since I… heard you singing, I've wanted to know a little more about you." He blushed as he said that, it was a little embarrassing for him to straight up confess that he found her because he was attracted to her singing. He really had nothing better to do.

"You were listening to my singing…" She said, also flustered, "How embarrassing. I was hoping that the forest was an ideal place to hum a few tunes without anyone listening but I guess I was wrong."

"But your singing was beautiful." Noctis stated as if were the most obvious thing on the planet. Lightning stared at him, trying to get a good read on his face for any lies. There were none; he was being totally sincere. A faint pink appeared on her cheeks, looking away in hopes that the young man wouldn't see her blush.

"Yeah, whatever." She responded nonchalantly, but her voice wavered. "Anyway, I got this necklace for my sister, as a gift."

"You have a sister?" Noctis asked as he leaned a little closer, clearly interested in Lightning's story. The pink-haired knight nodded, surprised and off put by Noctis's investment in the story, even though she only uttered a few words. "Yes, and her name is Serah. She's my only family left, and she's very important to me."

To Noctis, it sounded as if she had lost her parents, and it seemed like a sensitive topic to talk about, so he didn't bother to push her further. Instead, he merely gave a quick, "I'm sorry."

Lightning shook her head, "No, it's fine. Serah and I've come to terms with it. And … it's not like I didn't see it coming anyway." She stared off into the distance, a solemn look on her face. Noctis looked at her sadly as he tried to think of another thing to ask.

"Can I ask you another thing?" Noctis muttered.

Lightning shook her head again, "If it's about my family, I'd rather not delve into the topic." She honestly expected the dark-haired prince to push her further, like most people would.

He put up his hands defensively, "No, not at all! I was just wondering, um, what were you singing?" He scratched the back of his head, chuckling nervously, "Because if you don't mind, um, I'd like to learn it too."

If Lightning was surprised, she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she responded calmly, "It was … just a tune. From my hometown. Nothing more or less." She pushed some of her hair behind her left ear, sighing.

Noctis looked down, kicking his legs, "Do you miss home?"

"Yes, I do. Most of all, I miss my sister. Etro knows what she's been up to, but I've taken this job to support my sister's dreams of going to college; This job pays extremely well, well enough for my sister to be sustained alone at home. Even though we're apart now, at least Serah can be happy." The black-clad knight stated evenly, as if she had recited it to herself before.

"You sound as if you can't ever go back home." He replied. Lightning nodded. The dryer went off, signalling that it was done its job. The knight walked briskly to the dryer and pulled out the warm clothes, folding them while Noctis trailed behind.

"That's because I can't. Being a Kingsglaive knight requires my presence twenty-four seven. Vacations are scarce for people who work under the king." She said as she finished folding Noctis's shirt and jacket. She handed him his clothes, and they headed towards the door.

"Surely this king would be kind enough to give vacation days, especially for hard workers." Noctis insisted, not believing that such a king could be so selfish with other people's' time.

The Kingsglaive knight shook her head, "To be honest, the king is kinder than I may have just made him sound. He knows that his knights work exceptionally hard and sacrifice themselves to him, knowing well that this day may be their last, and that they cannot return to their families ever again. He would give many more breaks to his guards, but everyone knows that that is a risk not worth taking. If he and his wife falls, then the kingdom will shatter. In fact," The two moved outside, sitting on a bench right outside of the laundromat. "The king had graciously offered me a vacation day, but I declined because I felt as though I didn't earn it yet."

"You're a hard worker, aren't you?" He mused, and she shrugged back. "Even though I haven't met a lot of people in life, I really admire people who are dedicated. You put yourself and your needs behind other people's needs. My family told me that takes a lot of dedication and self-perseverance." He turned his head to face her, and tried to give her his most genuine smile. "Even though we just met today, I really admire you already, and I want to be like you."

Lightning bit her lip, the heat rising to her cheeks, "I don't think I'm as good as you think as I am. But I'll take the compliment."

Odin stood at the post, waiting for his master and her guest. When he saw her down the alleyway, Odin called out in excitement. The rose-haired knight hushed the Odin as to not cause commotion. She untied the reins and helped Noctis get onto her faithful steed, grabbing his hand. Noctis felt his heart swell a little, the woman had such soft hands despite being a warrior. He expected Lightning's to be hard and calloused from training and battle. He shook off the idea as he climbed onto the chocobo, with Lightning quickly following suit. The maiden squeezed the chocobo's sides, and it began trotting off, returning to the forest.

* * *

As they reached the forest's borders, Lightning jumped off of Odin and assisted Noctis in getting off of the chocobo. Noctis looked at her sword, and then remembered something he wanted to ask again.

"I forgot to ask, can we spar someday?" She looked at him quizzically.

"What brought this up?" Noctis scratched the back of his neck, looking away.

"I was looking at your sword, and since you're a knight and all …" He paused, trying to find the right way to phrase what he wanted to say. She crossed her arms, not understanding why Noctis was having trouble telling her his request.

"I, uh, have my own sword too," He removed his blade from its sheath, Lightning's eyes opened wide as she saw the magnificent blade. "And even though Gladiolus trained me, I still want to learn more. You're probably super experienced and know all of these cool tricks and techniques… I, uh, just…" He stuttered.

"Want to spend more time with me?" She asked, finishing his thought as Noctis's face flushed a deep red. Was he that easy to read?

"Don't think of it like that! I just want to get better at sword fighting." The raven-haired man said defiantly, crossing his arms, still blushing. And then Lightning laughed - it was a sweet, gentle laugh. A laugh that sounded like it came from angels. Noctis had never heard angels laugh - or even seen an angel, but he imagined that if they did laugh or giggle, it sounded like Lightning.

She then smirked, her hand on her hip, "Whatever you say, Noct."

"Will I ever see you again?" He asked, hoping that her answer was yes.

"Possibly. I can't make any promises though." She snorted. Possibly - that was better than a no. He smiled back, and headed back into the glen.

"Good-bye Lightning! I hope to see you soon!" He called out as he skipped into the woods, feeling rather giddy.

She gave a simple wave, and watched him as he delved deeper and deeper into the forest, to a point where she could no longer see him. She snickered to herself - he was quite the character, unlike all of the other Kingsglaive knights she worked with. He was unique and odd, but in a good way. Unlike her co-workers, who would pester and annoy her to no end, he seemed to understand that she had boundaries and never pushed her too hard. But at the same time, he still asked questions because he was genuinely interested. He almost reminded her of King Regis. But he was awkward, shy and a bit clumsy too, something he did not share in common with the Lucian king. That part made her laugh for some reason; she supposed it was just his natural charm. The knight turned around, heading back to her chocobo. Maybe should would visit him again. Maybe. He definitely wasn't someone Lightning could forget that easily.

* * *

"I'm home!" Noctis loudly announced as he entered his house. Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto were all in the living room, watching a television show.

"Hey Noct." Gladiolus was the first to greet him. "Where've you been?"

"Out. On a walk." The young man said pleasantly as he sat himself down on the couch with Gladiolus.

"You were gone for a very long time" Ignis commented stoically, "And those are the clothes you did not leave the house in." He pointed to Noctis's new attire. "Where did you get those?"

Prompto, "Oh did you go to the market? That must've been where you got those. They look great on you, buddy!"

"Mm, yes, I would agree myself. But Noctis, I thought I said not to wander off too far from the forest." Ignis's eyes narrowed a little as he put his book down.

Noctis laughed anxiously, "Ah, sorry. I guess I got carried away. You would not _believe_ what happened today!"

"Did you fight off a beast? Twice your size?" Gladiolus suggested as grinned mischievously.

"Oh no, nothing like that." He purred, a hint of dreaminess in his words. "I met this woman. She had the most beautiful voice. And she was so interesting too." He sighed, leaning into his arm.

"Was she good-looking?" Prompto asked, clearly interested. Noctis nodded.

"Her hair color was this really nice shade of pink, and her eyes were this interesting color of blue-green. She seemed really rough around the edges, but she was actually really kind. She offered to wash my dirty clothes and help me get new ones."

"And how did you encounter her?" Ignis asked quizzically. He didn't seemed to like what was going on here - from what Ignis speculated, it sounded like this mystery woman really impressed Noctis, to the point where he was enamored with her. He had hoped it was a fleeting feeling, since any attachments with other women before he lived as a prince would only end sourly on his part.

"She was singing! She had this really amazing voice." He swooned.

"Wow, Noct. I didn't think you'd be this easily wooed by a woman." Gladiolus chuckled. "I guess that's what happens when you stick with us for seventeen years with no one else around." Ignis shot him a glare, as Prompto laughed, wrapping his arm around his adopted son.

"When are you gonna introduce us, huh?" He nudged Noctis, winking. "I wanna meet this mystery woman who's got your eye."

"W-what? You've got it all wrong! I don't feel that way about her." Noctis stuttered, arms up against him defensively.

"Dude," Prompto said, "Don't even deny it. It's so obvious you've got hots for this woman. And from how to described her, I might too. Especially if you introduce her to me."

"Prompto." Ignis gritted his teeth. Etro, Prompto could be so inappropriate. The brawny, muscled young man looked at Noctis.

"Noct, I hate to break it to you, but I think Prompto's right. It sounds like you're really crushing on this woman, even though you just met her." Gladiolus stated matter-of-factly.

" _Well he wouldn't feel this way if I kept a closer eye on him this morning. I knew I should've followed him."_ Ignis sulked to himself. "Noct, I would advise that you stop seeing this woman."

He turned to his surrogate parent, confused, "How come?"

"We don't know who this woman is, or where she's from. At all. She could be a …" He went silent. Noctis waited for an answer, even more confused as to why Ignis didn't want him seeing Lightning anymore.

"Go on." Noctis beckoned. "She could be a what?" Ignis's cheeks radiated even more so.

Gladiolus, "I don't know why Iggy is freaking out, but what he's trying to say is: he thinks the woman you're seeing is a potential prostitute."

The soon-to-be-prince did a double take. "Oh no, she's definitely not that. She's a knight. She said she was a part of this special brigade…She wore majestic black and silver armor..."

"A knight?!" All three gasped, looking at each other. Gladiolus and Prompto gave Ignis a serious look, to which the light brown-haired man responded with a curt nod. A knight with black and silver armor - the Kingsglaive!

"What's so special about a knight that's got you all shocked?" Noctis asked curiously.

"N-nothing! We were just surprised she was a knight, that's all." Prompto said carefully. Noctis arched an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"Well, prostitute or not, I still advise you don't see this woman." Ignis piped up. "We don't know what she's up to, and it's best if we stay away from strangers."

"I don't understand why you can't be open to the idea of me hanging out with her. In fact, I don't understand why all of these years you've kept me away from people!" Noctis shouted. Ignis's eyes narrowed, glaring at Noctis. Gladiolus and Prompto shivered, all too familiar with Ignis's infamous glare.

"Upstairs. Now." He sneered.

"But-" Noctis interjected.

" _Now!_ " Ignis yelled as Noctis stared at him, glassy-eyed. He had never been yelled at by Ignis before.

"Whatever." Noctis grunted, running upstairs to his room, shutting his bedroom door.

As the little prince ran up the stairs and locked himself in his room, Gladiolus turned to brown-haired companion. "Did you really have to do that, Ignis?"

Ignis sighed, pacing around as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Maybe not, but I couldn't have Noctis question why we raised him the way we did - sheltered and away from the world. We can't let him know that he's secretly the prince of Lucis, especially not now, not before his eighteenth birthday. But it makes me think that maybe we should have let him live at least somewhat of a normal life. But when I really think about it, I realized that it would only make the shift into becoming a prince even harder. What if he fell in love with another girl? Tearing him away from a normal civilian life with a normal commoner girl, and putting him on the throne, only to never see her again as he marries Princess Lunafreya… It would break his heart. And I fear he wouldn't be nearly as happy."

Prompto, "Ignis…"

He leaned his head against his hand a little, "If only he could live a normal life, either as a commoner or a prince, I wouldn't feel the need to be so restrictive."

"Ignis, we know you're doing the right thing. And you don't have to shoulder all of the burdens by yourself." Gladiolus put his large hand on Ignis's shoulder gently, massaging it a little. "Prompto and I are here to help out, that's why we're a team."

Ignis nodded, leaning into Gladiolus for a hug. "Thank you Gladio."

Prompto, "Aww! Group hug!" He said as he embraced his three companions.

"He's just growing up so fast…" Ignis said quietly.

Prompto patted his back, " We know Iggy, we know.

As Noctis lay in bed, he covered his face with his pillow and screamed into it. Why did Ignis have to be so frustrating? Why wouldn't he let him go see Lightning? Was he really that scared of meeting new people? These questions flew around in Noctis's mind, remaining unanswered.

He removed the pillow from his face as he sat up, and decided that even if Ignis didn't want him to, he would still go see Lightning anyway. Ignis may make the rules around the house, but that didn't mean Noctis had to follow them. Noctis would make his own path, and do what he wanted to regardless. He would see Lightning again.


	4. Chapter 4

The next few days remained uneventful, as Noctis stayed inside the house, doing chores like the good boy he was. He was still determined to go outside again, but he felt that he should space out the days he could see her. Noctis sighed, what if she waited for him by the lake yesterday? Or the past couple of days? He feared that she thought he broke his promise.

He shook his head, quelling his fears by deciding that he would go out today. After sweeping the floor, he made a checklist of where everyone was today. Ignis was upstairs in his room reading, and Prompto was sleeping in. Gladiolus was in the living room, channel surfing on the television. Even though Gladiolus was downstairs, Noctis felt that if he were quiet enough, he could sneak away without his brother-like companion hearing. As he put away the broom into the utilities closet, Noctis grabbed his jacket and his sword (and some pocket money, in case Lightning decided to take him to the market again). Checking to see if Gladiolus noticed him, he put his hand on the doorknob and opened the door. He checked again Gladiolus again - he seemed entirely too focused on the television in front of him. Confident, Noctis quickly but quietly ran out the door. He felt exhilarated - he never broke the rules like this, and it felt amazing. He actually started to feel like his own person, independent and free. He decided that he would do this more often, and questioned why he never did something like this before. But Noctis's daydream was ruined as he put his hand on the wooden gate.

"Where are you off to, Noct?" _Gladiolus._

The dark-haired prince turned around as he backed away from the gate. "Just out for a stroll!" He stated cheerily, but with a tinge of nervousness.

His large friend snorted, "As if. I know you're going out to see that mystery woman."

Noctis cowered a little, "Don't tell Ignis." The last thing he wanted was to get on Ignis's bad side again.

Gladiolus smiled, putting his hand on Noctis's shoulder as they walked. "Don't worry, I won't." He winked at his adopted son as they walked around the forest. "To be honest, I can't say I really agree with Ignis entirely. You're old and mature enough to meet new people. It shouldn't be nearly as a big deal as Ignis is making it."

"Then why is Ignis making such a big deal out of it?" Noctis asked, crossing his arms.

"He's just, well, let's just say he's very protective." Gladiolus responded. "He means well though." Noctis snorted, but let the topic go.

As they wandered the forest in search of Noctis's maiden, a sound reverberated throughout the forest. Noctis stopped walking, signaling Gladiolus to be quiet and listen for the sound again. But nothing came.

"What was that?" Gladiolus questioned.

"It could be Lightning, but she stopped singing. Maybe she's at the lake?" Noctis replied as he headed in the direction towards the lake.

"Lightning, huh? That's her name?" Noctis nodded, eyes still forward. "Well, I hope she can live up to her name. Especially if she's a knight." Gladiolus snickered.

Suddenly, the singing started again. Noctis grabbed Gladiolus's hand as they ran towards the source of the singing. They ran far, and ended up at the lake - the same lake where Noctis first met her. He approached the brushes that lead to the lake, and peeked through them, Gladiolus joining him. She was cleaning her weapon again, wiping off the bloodstains with a cloth and water.

"Hey! Lightning!" Noctis stood up and shouted, smiling as he greeted her. "I'm glad you're back!"

Lightning looked up, smirking, and sure enough there was Noctis… and someone else? She wasn't sure, as she only saw the top of the figure's head.

She walked up the hill, her chocobo at her side, smirking as Noctis approached her eagerly. Behind the young prince was a large, muscled man. " _A body guard?"_ Lightning thought - no, Noctis wasn't of nobility or royalty, so who was he?

"Who's your friend here?" The rose-haired knight said defensively.

"Oh!" Noctis turned to his friend, "This is Gladiolus! He's one of my parents." Gladiolus put out his hand to greet her.

"Lightning! It's a pleasure to meet you. Noctis has told me all about you." He smirked. Lightning merely hummed in response.

"Lightning," Noctis turned to her, "I brought my sword again. I'm ready to sparr!" Lightning smiled a little; it was clear to her that he was eager to learn and become better - a trait that she has admired in people. Headstrong, determined, courageous.

"Spar?" Gladiolus questioned, rubbing his head. "You sure you want to do that buddy?" The young man nodded vigorously, making Gladiolus laugh heartily. "Alright champ. I'm sure you'll do fine but I'm going to watch over here." Gladiolus made his way over to a nearby tree and leaned against it. Noctis merely nodded as he stood his ground, ready to battle. Lightning drew her weapon from her holster, revealing a long sword that was elegant and light, its blade and hilt as red as blood.

"I'm ready, Noct." Lightning announced. "Give it your all, don't hold back." Noctis nodded again, and then dashed at her as fast as he could, trying to get a swipe in. The rose-haired knight dodged his slashes and swipes with ease and then retaliated with a counterattack, catching Noctis off guard and sending him flying a few feet. Luckily for him, he was at least able to block the blow. The young woman stood tall, breathing evenly, not breaking a sweat.

"Just as fast as lightning. You really live up to your name!" Gladiolus commented, amused. "I hope you don't mind that I have a good sparr with you too."

"I'm fine with that." Lightning said simply before blocking Noctis's sword with her shield, which seemed to appear out of nowhere. Noctis stood in awe as Lightning jumped back a few feet, distancing themselves. The shield was the same shade of red as her sword, with decorative thorns and embellishments that flared from its base.

"Do you like what you see?" The warrior smirked. "It's a special shield. Lightweight and easy to travel with, but it can become its full size in a flash."

Noctis smirked as well, "You never cease to amaze me, Lightning." And with that he charged at her with all of his might. Both of their weapons collided, metal on metal. Every time Noctis was about to land a blow on Lightning, she would somehow block it at just the right moment. It was unnatural, _inhuman_ even, how fast her hand-eye coordination and speed were. As the two danced and clashed their swords, Gladiolus mused to himself. No wonder she was recruited to the Kingsglaive army; after all, only those with astoundingly superior battle skills could make it into the King's personal army. He wondered how long she had been in the Kingsglaive, and how on Eos did she manage to be picked by the king himself. His thoughts ended when he saw Noctis on his back and Lightning pointing her sword at the vulnerable prince, signaling that she had won. The Kingsglaive knight held out her hand, helping Noctis get up. Both had a thin sheen of sweat, and Noctis's clothes were a bit dirtied.

"You did well. However I think you need to balance out your recklessness. There's a difference between impulsive movements and striking whenever, and then there is quick planning. What I'm saying is, even though the battle is fast-paced and there's little time to think," Lightning instructed, pushing her pink fringes out of her eyes, "you still need observe the opponent. Watch their movement and know when the best time to strike is."

Noctis tilted his head, a little confused, "But I already do that? I attack whenever there is an opening." Lightning shook her head.

"Yes but you also need to think about _how_ you will do it." The black-haired prince nodded.

Gladiolus, "You have some great skills, Lightning!" The tall Guardian walked over to the pair. "But I wonder if you'll be able to take me on." He smirked, confident in his skill. He knew that even though he was slower than Lightning, his great strength could overwhelm her.

"No weapons?" She questioned, looking at Gladiolus and his lack of weaponry.

Gladiolus shrugged, "Nah, I didn't bring my broadsword with me. I didn't even know we'd be sparrring! Besides," he looked at the pink-haired warrior, eyes filled with determination, "I think a good old-fashioned fist fight can measure our strength just as much as a real brawl." Lightning smiled at that, a bit of a mischievous look in her eye.

"Alright, Gladiolus." She said as she deactivated her shield and put away her sword. As she took off the sword's holster off her belt, she called her chocobo, and kept her weaponry with her faithful friend. "I'm ready when you are."

"Nice chocobo you got there." The hefty warrior commented, pointing at Odin who squawked at the mention of his name. "By the way, you can just call me Gladio." The Kingsglaive knight nodded back.

Gladiolus took deep breaths, as he stood his guard, prepared and ready for whatever Lightning had up her sleeve. Lightning was the first to move, charging at him as she aimed to hit the side of his stomach. Although he was much slower in comparison, Gladiolus was able to partially defend the attack and counter it with his left hand as he hit her away. Lightning swiveled to the left side of his body and tried to attack it, but Gladiolus blocked her attack once again, and countered it with a swift punch across the jaw. Noctis gasped as he put his hands to his mouth. That had to hurt, and he worried that Gladiolus might have broken a bone or something of the sort. But he was proven wrong as Lightning recovered rather quickly, wiping the bit of blood from her mouth.

"That's some punch you've got there." The rose-haired warrior commented, staring at Gladiolus's overall physique. It looked as if she would have to rethink her strategy.

"Yeah, I know." Gladiolus laughed as he bragged rather not-so humbly. If he kept up the pace, he could take Lightning down. He felt that his defense and stamina could win against her quick attacks; once she'd tire herself out, he'd be able to take her down in one fell swoop. He just had to be patient.

Lightning changed to a defensive stance, taking the time to study her opponent and go over the information she gathered. The brawny warrior was tall and strong, but despite his strength, he was not as quick as she was - his reflexes may be in top form but his movement was slow. In addition, if he countered her, his hits would be hard. The only way she'd be able to avoid his counter be dodging, of course. In conclusion, she discovered that the only way to win is to take a defensive stance and wait for an opportunity to hit for a weak point. The only problem was, where was the weak point? She supposed she could go for the obvious area and aim for the crotch area, but a victory like that would be cheap and unfair, so she crossed that idea out. She'd just have to find out herself. As Lightning was going over her notes, Gladiolus was waiting for her to make a move, growing a little impatient with her passive course of action. Instead, he took the time to catch her off guard and attack her. The dark brown-haired Guardian ran up to her as quickly as he could so he could deliver an uppercut, but Lightning evaded his attack with ease, and tried to attack the right side of his body. He staggered slightly but it wasn't enough for her; she had to find a way to really get him off balance. Gladiolus attacked the rose-haired maiden with a flurry of punches, but Lightning dodged them, if almost barely. If she moved too slowly, Gladiolus would surely get a punch in and throw her off. As she swerved left and right, she noticed that Gladiolus hadn't used his legs at all for fighting - well to be frank, neither of them have. But the young woman remembered what his physique was like. He was a heavy man, almost bodybuilder-like, but he was definitely more top heavy. She came to the conclusion that his weakness may lie in his legs, but she wasn't too sure. What if his strength was equally balanced in both areas of his body? She shook off her doubt; the only way to find out would be if she did it; and so she did. With a swift dodge to the left she tucked underneath the area where his arms were punching and used her leg to sweep him off his feet. That definitely did the trick as the young man was caught off guard and started to fall forward. Before he fell, the Kingsglaive knight gave him a quick knee to the stomach, making it so that he was short of breath. The great man fell to the ground, breathing heavily as he clutched his stomach. He laughed heartily.

"Damn, Lightning, you really got me there!" He coughed a little, "To be honest, I guess I underestimated your leg strength. I didn't think you'd kick me hard enough to make me fall!" He rose from the ground and put out his hand, "I'd fight again but you kicked the wind right out of me. I'm gonna have to concede for now." Lightning shook his hand and she gave him a genuine smile, ending the sparring match. "But next time, I'll be the one on top." He winked.

"It was a pleasure sparring." She replied simply. Noctis ran over to both of them, excited and elated at Lightning's victory; she impressed him again.

"That was amazing Lightning! You even beat Gladiolus by yourself... Not even I or Ignis or Prompto can do that alone." He commented, obviously in awe.

"Then you need to work on your hand-to-hand fighting skills, and not just your swordsmanship." The knight replied shortly. Gladiolus only laughed at her response.

"Well, you've definitely defeated my expectations. I knew you were a knight but holy shit." The young woman arched an eyebrow. "You knew?"

"Oh, yeah. Noct over here told me about how he met you. He was swooning and-" But Noctis covered his mouth before more embarrassing news could spill out of his Guardian's mouth. A faint blush crept across her cheeks at the odd compliment. Noctis, _swooning_? Then again she recalled that he acted rather shy and embarrassed around her at times, especially when it came to complimenting her. But she didn't think she charmed him that well, but as of today, she was proven wrong.

"Yeah! Well anyway, Gladio and I have to errands to do! So, uh, bye!" Noctis exclaimed frantically and he dragged his surrogate parent back home. To be honest, he did not want to leave Lightning so soon. He wanted to spend more time with her and get to know her. Unfortunately Gladio acted like the embarrassing father he was, and revealed a little too much about him.

"You're really that embarrassed to tell her how you feel about her?" Gladio smirked, as the two approached the fence of the house. Noctis blushed heavily.

"S-shut up! It's not like that. Besides, even if I did feel that way about her it's too early to tell her." The raven-haired young man replied, running his hands through his hair.

"Sure, _totally_. You _totally_ don't feel that way about her." The Guardian murmured sarcastically, but just loud enough for Noctis to barely hear. And with that, he opened the gate to their yard and home, and went inside. Noctis puffed his cheeks in defiance, but followed suit. When Noctis walked into the house, Ignis was at the kitchen counter, his arms crossed. He wore a look of slight disappointment, as if he knew what Noctis did.

"Hello Noctis." Ignis said shortly. "Hey Ignis." Noctis started to feel tense, did Ignis know about him leaving to see Lightning? He couldn't have though, he was upstairs.

"And where were you today?" The bespectacled man asked, pushing up his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his index finger. Noctis scratched the back of his head.

"I went out with Gladio, and we sparred." Ignis raised an eyebrow at that response.

"Yet he didn't bring his broadsword? I saw him come in just a bit ago but he didn't have his weapon, yet you have yours.

"Oh, uh, no. Gladio was teaching me some techniques and how to execute them. And how to disarm someone." The young prince said rather un-confidently. Wow, if there was any lie that obvious, it was that one. Curse Noctis's poor acting.

"Well," Ignis's face relaxed, "do keep up the good work. You're getting better and better, but there's still a long way until you're an expert." Ignis sighed, relieved that his surrogate son wasn't getting into any funny business, and resumed reading the cookbook in front of him. Noctis walked off, and then breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe Ignis didn't have supernatural perception like he once thought. Either that or Ignis was going easy on him. Still, he felt that he still had to be extra careful when it came to seeing Lightning again. The young man walked into the living room, having discovered Prompto playing a video game of sorts, and joined him in the fun.

* * *

Ignis stared at the recipe in front of him; it was of a two tiered cake, both layers being different flavors. Noctis's birthday was coming, and maybe a little too quickly. The brown-haired sighed, mainly for two reasons. One, although he was a fantastic chef, cooking and baking were two entirely different mediums, and while some properties of cooking crossed over, he was still unfamiliar with the science of baking. The second reason he felt a bit off was about Noctis. Even though he talked it out with his confidants, it was still a little hard to accept that Noctis was already eighteen, and that he would be part of the royal family. He enjoyed having a family, even if it was unconventional. Perhaps he could have one of his own someday. He shook the thoughts away, as he couldn't be looking into the future when the present was still happening. He grabbed a note pad and scribbled down the ingredients needed for the cake, closed the cookbook and got ready to leave for the market.

"I'm going out." announced Ignis as he reached for the door handle. No response, but he knew that everyone heard him. The bespectacled man opened the the door, and exited their plot of land and into he forest. On his way through said forest, he heard singing. He suspected it was the same singing that Noctis fell in love with, but he wasn't too sure. It was just as likely as it was unlikely. He decided to follow the sound, since the direction it (supposedly) came from was the same to the market. Upon exiting the forest, there was a small cliff, with a bush bordering the edges. Ignis peered over the bushes, and lo and behold, a young woman was at the lake with her white chocobo, singing. From far away, Ignis could tell that this mystery woman was the woman who easily captured Noctis's heart; her pink rose hair stood out brilliantly against the green grass canvas that surrounded her. As he observed her, he decided to do something that was impolite, at least it was to him.

Ignis walked down the slope from the cliff and approached the young Kingsglaive knight. As he got closer to her, she stopped singing, but didn't look at him. Regardless, Ignis assumed she knew he was near her.

"Miss." Ignis addressed her with a bit of an edge. In a flash, she stood up, sword ready and half unsheathed.

"Who are you?" She demanded, not a hint of warmth in her voice.

"It doesn't matter who I am, but you," he pointed at Lightning, "need to stay away from Noctis!"

Lightning put away her sword and crossed her arms, a look of light skepticism, "You must be one of Noctis's parents." Ignis nodded.

"Indeed I am. And I ask that you stay away from him." The Guardian warned. The knight arched an eyebrow.

"And why? He looks capable enough to take care of himself." She questioned, and at that point Ignis stuttered a little. He couldn't tell her that Noctis was the "missing" prince; if he told her of their mission then who knows what would happen?

"Because..." Ignis averted eye contact with the rose maiden. His eyes lit up as he came across an idea, "he is going under very strict training to be in the military! And he cannot be distracted by the likes of you or other women."

She sneered, "If women are the 'problem' then maybe you should control your child more. It's not our fault that he can't keep his hands in his pockets. Don't push the blame onto me." Ignis mentally rubbed the bridge of his nose; she was right. And the last thing he wanted to do was come across as sexist.

"Look, just, please stay away from him. It's for his own good." Lighting became confused as Ignis's demeanor and behavior towards her changed. What was he up to?

"Only if you explain why. I don't understand why you're being so strict." Lightning countered, "Being so restrictive towards a family member only ends up with a strained relationship."

Ignis processed her words; to him, it sounded as if she were giving advice through experience. He sighed, "If you care about Noctis, please just do as I say."

The Kingsglaive knight sighed as well, "... Fine, I guess. I don't understand the situation, and I certainly don't understand why your parenting skills are so bad, but out of respect I'll stop."

Ignoring the stinging comment, Ignis released a breath of relief. It was easier said than done, but he managed to convince the young maiden to back off of Noctis so he could fulfill his future duties. The tactician readjusted his glasses: "Thank you. And I'm sorry for the rude introduction. My name is Ignis Scientia."

"... It's Lightning. Farron." She replied softly.

 _Lightning Farron._

He hummed in response, said his goodbyes (rather awkwardly) and left for the market.

 _Lightning Farron._

He'd have to look her up.

"What odd parents." Lightning mused to herself. The first one enjoyed meeting her, and the second one wanted her to back off of Noctis. The rose-haired maiden sighed as she wondered what sort of nutty family Noctis belonged in. She tried recalling what Noctis said about his abnormal family. There were three parents, and their names were Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto; So the only one left was Prompto. She had to wonder what he was like; if one seemed to be fine with her, while the other almost seemed to detest her, then what does the third parent do?

* * *

 _Flirt_. The third parent _flirts_.

Despite Ignis's pleas to Lightning that she stop hanging around with Noctis, she still ended up breaking that promise, but only because when Lightning told Noctis about the ordeal, the raven-haired prince insisted that she shouldn't listen to what Ignis says, despite being the parent. And so Lightning ended up with Noctis again, but this time he brought his third parent, although at this point he was more like a big brother. Once introduced, Prompto took no time in trying to sweet talk the knight. He'd compliment her looks and use cheesy pick-up lines, all which Lightning rolled her eyes on. She honestly wanted to slap the blonde, freckled man, but remained composed out of politeness. Trying her best to ignore Prompto's pitiful advances, she'd focus her attention on Noctis and ask him how his training is going.

"Oh! It's, uh, going well." He ruffled the back of his head, as if it wasn't obvious enough that his swordsmanship was still only above average, at least that's what he thought. "I still have a long way to go."

"But you've been practicing since you were thirteen, correct?" The prince nodded. "Then you should already be pretty good, if not decent. Fighting takes a long time to master, and even once you master all of the basic and advanced techniques, there's still much more that can be learned."

"And that's why I stick with guns." Prompto interjected. "It's just easier to handle in my opinion. Just as long as you know how a gun works, that's kind of all there is to it."

"But isn't there more to it? Like the mechanizations and the science behind in all of that." Noctis asked, curious.

"I'm sure there is, and if you find out the secrets of the gun, then you really can utilize it to its fullest." Noctis nodded at her answer.

Prompto wiggles his eyebrows, looking at Lightning with a flirtatious look, "Wanna help me find those secrets?" She could only reply with a snort, signaling how unimpressed she was with his behavior.

"I'm just kidding Light!" Putting his arm around her shoulders, even though they only met today. "I know someone else is going gaga for you, and as an honorable bro, I can't do that to my friend." He winked at Noctis whose face flared up like a red pepper. Lightning could only look at the freckled blonde with a mixed look of disappointment and confusion.

"Could you please take your arm off of me? And don't call me Light." The warrior demanded as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

Prompto backed off giving her some space: "Right, sorry." He looked up from the ground, "Oh hey, we're at the market!"

He turned to the pair, "Well, I'd stick around and hangout with you two, but I have some errands to run. So see you!" And in a flash Prompto zipped through the market square, no longer to be seen.  
Lightning stared at the path the blonde left, sighing.

The two stood idly, with Noctis unsure of how to react to Prompto's sudden need to complete errands - especially since Prompto _hates_ doing household errands. He wanted to believe that the blonde was up to something mischievous, but shook away the idea now that he was standing in the middle of the market square path long side Lightning.

"So... Prompto's my other parent, but he's more like a brother to me."

"... I see." She replied hesitantly. Noctis looked at her, wondering about her response. As if she read his mind, she gave an answer: "He reminds me of someone, and not in a good way."

"Oh. Uh, sorry about that I guess? But I promise Prompto isn't like this all of the time. Well, being flirtatious with other girls is pretty common... but he's a really good guy. He's reliable and understanding and-"

"Alright alright, I get it," Lightning cut the prince off, "I shouldn't judge a book by its cover. But he really didn't give me the best impression."

"He was, uh, just excited to meet you?" The raven-haired young man stated, sounding a bit unsure. The warrior only replied with a snort.

And awkward silence wafted through the air as Noctis nervously tried to come up with something else to talk about. He wanted to ask who this Prompto-esque person was and why they bothered her so much, but was afraid she might snap at him for the question. The prince decided to take a risk nonetheless.

"So... who is this person that you dislike so much?" Lightning sighed as he asked the question; she had a feeling he'd ask that. The young man was a curious one after all, and just like he said when they first met, he wanted to get to know her. A part of her didn't mind because he was honestly interested and a good listener, but her guarded personality made her wish that sometimes he didn't ask such personal questions.

"His name is Snow, and he is currently my sister's boyfriend. I've known him since middle school, and ever since I've known him, all he's been is trouble, at least to me. He's always loud and gregarious, and he never shuts up. He never focused on his studies in high school, or at least as much as an average person should. He was so obnoxious, yet he attracted all sorts of people, and they enjoyed being with him. In a way, we're polar opposites, him and I. I could never understand how someone so reckless and carefree could be so ... popular and loved by everyone. I still don't." A solemn look was painted across her face, as though she had regrets about her past self. To Noctis, it seemed she envied Snow's youthfulness and popularity, and based on what she said, it seemed like she was very lonely throughout her adolescence, despite having Serah with her.

"And now that they're together, I worry about Serah. What if he ropes her into something reckless and risky, and she gets hurt in the process?" Lightning went on, "With how unpredictable he can be, I can only fear the worst. And what if I lose Serah because of it..." The last couple of words were brought down to a quiet tone, Noctis almost missed it.

"Are you worried that he'll take her away from you too?" Noctis asked rather boldly. The young woman nodded slowly. It was clear to the prince that she didn't like admitting that she was a very lonely person, to the point where she actually wanted companionship.

"... You already know I lost my parents. Well, when I did, I had to grow up very fast in order to take care of Serah and myself. And because of my forced maturity, I could never really connect with anyone at my age when I was younger... Therefore, it was incredibly hard to make friends. I could never really get along with anyone. Serah is the only person I really have; I know it's incredibly immature to be so possessive of her but..." Her heart swelled; she loathed the feeling of being weak - it made her feel powerless and small, useless. "I have no one else."

"Well..." The raven-haired man started, "I'm here." Lightning's eyes widened as she stopped looking down and faced Noctis. "I-I know we've only known each other for a short while, but for the past couple of times we've met this week, I feel like I've really gotten to know you... as a real friend. And even if no one else sticks around, I'll..." he paused for a brief moment. His hands were beginning to sweat and feel a bit clammy. "I'll be here for you, as a confidant." His ears burned as finished his sentence. If this was merely a declaration of friendship, then why was he so on edge?

A soft, genuine smile crept across her face, and she sighed contently. "Thank you Noctis."

The prince was about to reply, but was cut short when he felt his body being pulled towards hers, and soon he realized she was embracing him. His already red cheeks somehow became even redder, if that were even possible, and his earlobes were scorching. Worst of all, each beating pulse of his heart felt like a jackhammer against his chest; but calmly, Noctis gently wrapped his arms around her waist, completing the embrace. She sighed to herself contently, enjoying this gentle moment. It was rare for her to open herself up to someone, yet somehow Noctis was able to safely enter her guarded fortress. She didn't know how she came to like the dark-haired youth. Maybe it was his overall disposition, or how he just seemed to easily understand all of her worried and problems. Or maybe, she simply loved how charming he could be, with his odd and clumsy ways. An unfamiliar feeling began to stir in her heart, yet she didn't seem to mind it.

After what felt like an eternity, Lightning dropped her arms from Noctis's shoulders and released him from her grasp. The young prince already started to miss the warm embrace, but knew he could get another hug some other time. The rose-haired woman looked at him with a soft gaze, and Noctis took in the time to remember and cherish that look, because he knew it wouldn't happen often. However, her facial expression shifted rather quickly, and her stoic but calm face returned. "We should get something to eat."

"O-oh! Yeah, we should." Noctis replied, slightly shocked at the shift in tone. He pointed to a restaurant. "How about that one?"

" _The Dancing Chocobo_? Fine by me." And the two friends walked into the modernized restaurant. Inside the restaurant were soft by bright yellow lights covering the room, a bar to the left of the restaurant with many older adults at it, drinking and talking away any woes they might have. The smell of wood clouded the restaurant, as well as the familiar scent of burnt cigarettes. Aside from the group of adults, the restaurant was rather empty. Noctis assumed that either the place wasn't very popular, or the place was much more active at night. The pair chose a two-person seating and browsed the menu until a waiter came. They ordered their drinks and meals, and as they dined, they talked about their interests and hobbies, their likes and dislikes, their pet peeves, and maybe a secret or two. All information and intel one would share with a good friend. Noctis enjoyed every minute he had with his rose-haired maiden; learning all sorts of new and weird facts about her made her all the more human to him, and his feelings for her only grew stronger. Once they finished their meal, Noctis tried to pay for it, but Lightning insisted that she pay it herself - it was the least she could do.

The pair left the restaurant, both full and happy with their meals and each other. On the side of the restaurant, on a wayward street, a freckled blonde giggled. Yes, he just spied and witnessed everything between the budding pair. Deep down, he knew Ignis would be upset with him not interfering between them and separating them, but as a brother should, Prompto rooted for Noctis's romantic endeavors, despite what may happen when it came to Noctis becoming a prince. Although he knew that suddenly leaving his crush would end in heartbreak, Prompto believed that letting Noctis form a relationship, be it friendship or romance, would help him with his social skills with Princess Lunafreya. He hoped to convince Ignis to let Noctis see Lightning, but the easy-going blonde knew it could be tough to convince his bespectacled companion to change his mind. Nonetheless he thought he should try.

When the black and rose-haired duo reached the end of the market, Lightning said her goodbyes for the day.

"So soon?" Noctis muttered, saddened that his time was cut short. The knight replied with a curt nod.

"But of course, I have the king to serve. It's a blessing that I even get time to spend with you." She hopped onto Odin, who chirped happily at the idea of getting to run again. "I won't get to see you for a while - I have a very long shift this time."

Noctis frowned, "Promise me you'll come see me after though?" Lightning smiled gently.

"Maybe." _That meant yes._

Noctis's eyes beamed: "Okay then, I'll see you later. And good luck with your work!" He waved her off as she rode through the wildlands on her faithful steed. When he could no longer see the rose-haired knight in the distance, he started daydreaming about what type of activity to do with Lightning next. Fishing was a potential idea, as she mentioned that she never tried it when Noctis brought up the topic. Sparring was another idea as well, as it was something she already enjoyed doing and it would help him get better at fighting. Lastly, he thought that maybe just sitting and talking together would be enjoyable. The raven-haired man sighed at the possibilities, losing himself in his daydreams. Unfortunately those daydreams would be disrupted thanks to a certain Guardian.

"Hey Noct!" Noctis yelped as the sudden sound of Prompto's voice interrupted his dreams. "How was your time with ol' Light there?"

Noctis sputtered, "W-what?! You were spying on us?!" Prompto laughed a little as he patted Noctis's back.

"Yeah, I just had to; I wanted to make sure you're okay. You and Lightning seemed to be on good terms." Noctis shook his head, cheeks reddening, as Prompto grinned.

"Ya gotta tell me all about it buddy! Come on, let's go home." And so the two young men walked off into the wildlands, returning home.


	5. Chapter 5

Over the course of the next few days, Noctis felt antsy; although there was much he could do around the house, all he wanted to do was to see and be with Lightning. But pacing back and forth and lying on the bed and musing about what to do wouldn't help no matter what, so the young man decided to train. The next time she arrived, he really wanted to impress her with his hard work and dedication. No doubt Gladiolus gave him a pat on the back and encouraged Noctis during training, but Gladiolus was his surrogate father, and naturally Noctis felt that the brawny warrior's comments were given regardless. Noctis wanted to work and earn his praise, as it showed his dedication to his swordsmanship.

Meanwhile, the trio of Guardians were talking to each other about Noctis and his involvement with Lightning. Two out of the three favored his interaction with her, and it was incredibly difficult to get Ignis to change his mind. Eventually the glasses-wearing Guardian conceded, all thanks to Prompto's pleading. But on Ignis's conditions, they had to observe Noctis while he interacted with Lightning. Despite Ignis's negative attitude towards her, he did not actually detest the Kingsglaive knight.

When Lightning returned from her incredibly long shift at work, Noctis was elated. At first the young man wanted to spar with his partner, but Lightning refused, as she was too mentally exhausted to focus on fighting. So instead, Noctis suggested fishing at his favorite spot: a hideaway stream that not even his Guardians knew about. The rose-haired warrior complied with the suggestion and joined him in finding said spot, carrying the equipment for both of them as Noctis led the way. Naturally, as per Ignis's rules, the Guardian trio pursuited the two - some a bit more clumsily than others (namely Prompto). In a few cases, one or the other of the surrogate family members would almost get caught, either by wandering too close or by being too loud.

"Here it is, my secret fishing spot." Noctis announced to his friend, pointing to the bush.

Lightning looked at him in confusion, as if he was wearing the most ridiculous outfit possible. "Noctis… that's a bush." She stated.

A nervous laugh, "Well yeah, but the thing is it's behind the bush." He pushed away the leaves and branches, revealing a little clearing with a stream running down the middle. "I'm surprised Lightning, I thought you'd figure it out."

She snorted, "To be fair, how was I supposed to know that? I'm not familiar with this place after all." Noctis merely shrugged as the two brought their fishing supplies close to the stream and set them down as the trio followed behind quickly. The area was quiet except for the sound of the moving stream; a frog or a group of birds would sing their songs as the two began their fishing, otherwise it was rather quiet. Even Odin, who trailed behind them, did not make a sound.

Noctis drove the fishing pole stake down into the ground as Lightning attached the bait onto the hook to the rod. The raven-haired prince explained that the purpose of the stakes were to hold onto the pole in place when it was or wasn't in use; it could either be used as a dock, or simply be used as a substitute for your arms when they felt tired holding the poles. Lightning, eager to learn, hurried Noctis into giving her the official lesson. He taught her the parts of the rod, and how to cast into the stream, as well as what to do when a fish steals away the bait. He even told her that some fish nibble but don't go for the trap.

"A test of patience." The rose-haired maiden stated, "Very well. I will do my best to catch as many a possible." Noctis grinned, glad that Lightning was beginning to take a liking to fishing.

However, after an hour with no catches, or even _nibbles_ , Lightning was starting to become a bit irritated. The knight was incredibly tempted to throw the fishing pole into the stream out of frustration, but she remained her composure: for one, it was not her equipment. Secondly, the maiden felt that she couldn't lose to nature. She had gone through many tests and trials, but this test of patience almost brought her to the edge.

In addition to Lightning's frustration, the spying Guardian trio were beginning to grow bored as well. At first it wasn't difficult for the three of them to keep themselves alert for any activity, but as the time passed, they found themselves bored and sleepy, some wishing they spent the day doing other productive things. Prompto was in the worst condition despite his initial excitement in watching the couple; nothing interesting was happening in front of him, as the two were not talking to each other much since they were incredibly focused on their fishing rods. The young Guardian sighed as he plopped on the ground, looking at his other two comrades; Gladiolus was barely keeping awake while Ignis was paging through a pocket nature guide book he had brought along. Prompto considered sleeping as well, when suddenly the sound of water rippling shook him from his daze.

Lightning pulled and pulled on the rod as she reeled up the line as Noctis rooted for her. The fish was putting up a tough fight however, as every time Lightning felt she was close to lifting the fish out of the water, it would just pull back down again. Either this was a _very_ large fish or this fish was persistent as hell. Eventually Noctis felt that he should help his rose-haired friend and began tugging on the fishing rod as well. With the strength of two against one, the fish could no longer keep itself down and it flew into the air due to the force against it. Lightning reeled in the beefy fish and unhooked it from the line, dropping it on the ground. It flopped helplessly as Odin began to peck at it.

"It's a really big trout." Noctis stated as the fish slapped the ground pathetically. "I usually release the fish I catch unless Ignis wants me to catch dinner but you can do whatever you want with it."

Lightning picked up the fish as it squirmed in her arms, trying to free itself. "I'll give it to Odin." She stated evenly as she started to give the trout to Odin.

"Can chocobos eat fish? I know they eat the greens but…" He asked with a tinge of worry. She merely shrugged. "I don't see why not; he's an large bird, and birds that are even smaller than he eat fish. He'll probably be fine." And so the great white bird snatched the tasty treat out of his master's arms and gobbled up the trout excitedly. He squawked happily, begging for more. The knight laughed very softly, amused by her steed's antics. Noctis couldn't help but smile when he saw her laugh; he wanted to see it again so badly. With a new goal of the day in mind, Noctis resumed fishing as Lightning prepped up the fishing rod once again.

"Did you catch that guys? Lightning laughed and Noctis totally fell for it." Prompto turned to his friends who looking at him.

"I wish you wouldn't act like this is some romantic comedy movie. No matter what happens between them he's going to move onto Princess Lunafreya later." Ignis stated matter-of-factly.

"I know you're just following orders and all, but you have to agree this is kind of cute to see." Gladiolus snickered. Prompto beamed; it seemed as if Gladiolus was aboard on the ship as well.

"... Quite." Ignis replied bluntly as he returned to his guide book.

Prompto resumed watching his surrogate family member and his potential more-than-friends friend as they waited patiently for another bite. Their desires came as answered, because soon enough Noctis got a bite as well. Like all fish, the one that nabbed the bait put up a tough fight and refused to let go, even when its head would break the surface of the water. Noctis reeled and reeled but every time the head popped out, seconds later it would be submerged underwater. Lightning offered to help him, but Noctis declined; _he_ was the fishing expert, and how embarrassing would it be to let Lightning see him lose to a _fish_? As he pulled and reeled in harder, the fish finally flew up into the air. However, at the last second, the line snapped, and the fish with its bait fell back into the water, leaving Noctis unsuccessful and everyone in shock. Lightning sighed at the lost catch, but didn't mind too much.

"It's okay Noctis, there's always more to cat-" But before she could finish her sentence, Noctis jumped into the stream, desperately looking for the fish he lost to. Noctis was not the type to get frustrated easily, but the fact that he was an expert fisherman _and_ that his attempt to impress Lightning with said skills failed horribly, he couldn't help that he wanted to take out his frustrations on that one particular fish. As he dug through the stones and water, he noticed out of the corner of his eye the fish that stole his bait. Feverishly, he ran over to it and attempted to grab it, only for it to swim through his grasp. He tried again, but it passed him again. The dark-haired prince kept grasping for the fish. Eventually he succeeded as he raised the fish up high in the air, holding it with both hands. He breathed heavily, basking in his glory, until he realized Lightning was right behind him, and she just witnessed the _entire thing_. He turned around slowly, hoping Lightning didn't suddenly break down in tears laughing - a scene like that would make Noctis shrivel up and die inside. She stood by the water's edge, arms crossed with her usual calm composure, except she was smirking. Noctis breathed loudly as he walked over to her with the fish. Meanwhile, Prompto and Gladiolus were having a difficult time covering their mouths to keep themselves from being heard.

"So…" he started. Lightning smiled a little.

"That was some show you put on." Noctis merely flushed at her response. _Oh Etro, how embarrassing_.

"I-I just really wanted to catch that fish." he said simply. He mentally smacked himself - that was a ridiculous excuse for the way he acted.

The rose-haired woman nodded, and then resumed fishing. If Noctis could burn any hotter, he would be as scorching as the sun itself. He wanted to bang his forehead against a door a hundred times. He fed the fish to Odin, who cawed joyfully at the prospect of more fish. The young man wiped the fish's slimy coating onto his pants as he sat himself down next to Lightning, not bothering to resume his favorite hobby. After minutes of fishing, Lightning noticed that even though the prince sat down, he didn't grab his rod and continue to fish.

"What's wrong?" Lightning asked, concerned about her friend's well being. Noctis snorted, turning his head away from hers.

"It's nothing." Lightning frowned at Noctis's lack of communication.

"Noct." The sulking young man grabbed his fishing rod, continuing to ignore his rose-haired companion.

Lightning: "Noct." Her words were a little more stern than from before. He continued to ignore her even more as he cast out the line and waited for a bite.

" _Noctis._ " She hissed as she punched his shoulder hard enough to get his attention.

Noctis winced a slight bit at the punch, but shook it off after a second. "What?"

The knight rolled her eyes at his tone of voice, "Why were you acting like damn asshole just now? What're you so upset about?"

He looked down. "... I'm embarrassed." He muttered.

She looked at him quizzically, unsure about what on Etro's earth he could be so freaked out about. "About what?"

He covered his face, "The fish." This was going downhill fast.

Lightning only looked confused and unfazed, "But you caught it. I don't understand why-"

"I wanted to impress you!" Noctis bursted and then covered up his mouth after realizing what he just said to her, _out loud_. She gazed at him, wide-eyed and surprised at his answer.

The secret was already out, so the raven-haired prince resigned to tell her regardless: "Yeah I caught it, but I didn't even catch it legitimately. And the line broke. I looked like a total idiot scrambling after that fish. To make matter's worse it wasn't even that impressive of a fish anyway." He curled up into a ball, wishing the awkward moment would just disappear by itself already.

Her blue-green eyes gazed upon the young man before her for a few moments, and then she burst into a small fit of giggles. This only made Noctis feel worse: "See? You're laughing and you probably think I looked-"

"No, that's not it," she calmed herself down, putting the pole into the stake so she could face her friend. "I'm laughing because it's such a menial thing to worry about. You don't have to feel like you have to impress me or anything. Do you think I'll like you more if you impress me?" The young man nodded, a faint blush coming across his cheeks. When he thought about it, it really was such a trivial thing to worry about, and that trying to show off to her was rather immature of him. If Ignis saw him now, he would probably shame him.

"Well Noctis, that's not the case. To be frank, I don't care whether you catch the biggest damn fish in the entire world. You could catch a damn leviathan and it wouldn't affect me liking you any more or less. But that doesn't mean the feat itself isn't any less amazing."

"Oh." Was all Noctis could simply say.

She leaned back, "I know it's a bit hypocritical of me to say that, especially since I worked so hard as a knight to get through the career ladder, become one of the king's personal knights and hoped to be at least somewhat admired, but…" she breathed loudly as she tucked a lock of hair away, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, is that's not what I value you for; I didn't choose you to be my friend so you could impress me with these great feats. You've become my friend… because you care about me, and I care about you. You don't have to do grandiose things to make me like you any more than I do now, Noctis. I already do."

A heavier blush swept across his face as his eyes stared into her blue-green eyes. He scratched the back of his head, unable to find the right words to say back. "Thank you, Lightning." Was the only thing he could utter. And she smiled back - that smile that made Noctis's heart beat a little faster and a little harder.

"Shall we continue fishing?" She asked, and the dark-haired prince nodded.

For the rest of the day, the two cast their lines, caught fish, and enjoyed each other's company. Although Noctis fell for her when they first met, the young prince felt like he was falling for her more.

After the fishing event, Noctis spent even more time with Lightning. Although her work schedule shifted from time to time, Noctis would wait patiently by the lake for his rose-haired maiden. Each and every time he spent with her, he felt like he was falling deeper and deeper in love with her. Eventually, the idea actually being a couple filled his dreams and hoped that she felt the same. Unfortunately, things would not go as he planned…


	6. Chapter 6

As the days passed by, Noctis spent more and more time with the rose-haired knight, to the point where it concerned all three Guardians. They did not expect Noctis to put forward all of his time towards the Kingsglaive knight. Ignis essentially blamed Prompto for stopping him from letting the young prince see the knight. But Prompto argued that he did this so Noctis's social skills with the young woman could be used for his eventual interaction with Lunafreya. Gladiolus insisted that the problem would be resolved once he became a formal prince. Ignis sighed and only prayed it would go as easily as it possibly could.

Noctis's birthday rolled around too quickly: the three Guardians had to prepare for his birthday party, as they wanted it to be the most impressive out of all of the birthdays they've had so far. Uncharacteristically, the bespectacled man pushed the young prince out the door, telling him to spend time outside and take in the nature, and maybe even run some errands. Noctis gladly took the offer, and spent time doing whatever he liked, passing the time until Lightning would make her daily visit.

The three Guardians breathed loudly, their first step completed: get Noctis out of the house. Ignis ran to the kitchen cupboards, retrieving the baking ware and the ingredients needed for the two-tier cake, while Gladiolus went into his room and got a few bars of silver that he bought recently; he was tasked with making the young prince a headpiece akin to King Regis's. Lastly, Prompto went to go get the magic bracelets, but was immediately stopped by Ignis.

"But what if you mess up the cake? Then you'd have to go buy the supplies again and who knows how long that'll take? And Gladiolus has never metalsmithed before!" The blonde cried.

"That may be true but we can't take the risk of being discovered! We're so close to the goal, and we can't possibly mess up now!" The glasses-wearing Guardian snapped, grasping and pulling onto Prompto's arm.

Gladiolus shrugged, "It can't hurt to try to do this ourselves. We've survived eighteen years living as mortals anyway. A little baking and metalsmithing can't be too difficult." Prompto puffed his cheeks in defiance, but gave in to his more experienced friends' choices. With nothing to do, he sat on the high bar chair in the kitchen, watching Ignis work his magic.

It was already known that Ignis was proficient in cooking, but once again, baking was a little different. Although he had no problem making the cake mix, he had immense difficulty finding the idea temperature for the cake. The instructions stated that 350 Fahrenheit (~159 Celsius) would be enough to bake the cake, but when the brown-haired Guardian threw in a test piece, it was only partially baked. He then tried other temperatures, all of which failed.

"If you keep messing up you're not gonna have a two-tiered cake anymore Iggy." Prompto teased, knowing he was right.

Ignis adjusted his glasses, "Yes, I'm well aware that this isn't working as well as I thought it would, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't point out the obvious." Prompto snickered as his response. "Perhaps I will just move onto the decorating aspect-".

As the baking Guardian peered into the cookbook, he realized he couldn't advance the steps unless the cake was full baked and cooled. "Never mind then, I will just bake it as it is. Hopefully this time I can get the correct temperature…"

With Ignis fretting over the cake, Prompto glanced to living room where all of the furniture was moved to the side as Gladiolus was working in the metal. Although the brawny Guardian could flatten the metal with ease, shaping and bending it proved to be difficult.

"Damnit!" Gladiolus shouted, hitting the floorboards with his fist. "I can't shape this unless I have heat, but we don't have a welding station or anything, and it's not like I can go install one." With the limited time, Gladiolus knew that even if he could install one, it would most likely be dark by the time he finished even putting in the new system. Suddenly a small explosion was heard from the kitchen. The two men looked into the kitchen to find the stove messed up, the cake practically burnt to a crisp, and Ignis looking like he came from a coal mine. The young man coughed as he opened a window to get rid of the smoke.

Prompto smiled mischievously: "So it sounds like we're all stuck huh? Why don't we use magic?" For once, Prompto had all of the confidence in the world and knew that his answer was the only, if not best, solution.

The glasses-wearing Guardian put his hand to his forehead. "Very well then Prompto, you can fetch the bracelets." With a loud whoop and a holler, Prompto zipped upstairs, unlocked the safe containing their bracelets, and brought them down.

"Oh I'm so excited to use magic again!" The upbeat blonde announced, bouncing up and down as he waved the bracelets around. Shimmery particles fell from the bracelets as Prompto held them in his hands.

"Don't shake them like that Prompto!" Ignis ordered, causing the former to immediately stop moving. "Before we use them we must close every window and door. We _absolutely_ cannot allow anyone to witness us using magic." With a nod, both Gladiolus and Prompto ran around the house, closing every way in. As Ignis double checked, he gathered the other two in the center of the living room, handing everyone their magic bracelet. "We must do this as quickly and efficiently as possible. Of course I'll be remaking the cake; Gladiolus - continue working on that headpiece; and Prompto - cleaning duty."

"Aww come on! That's so boring!" The blonde whined. Gladiolus shook his head.

"Gotta make it clean for the birthday boy, it's his special day after all. Can't leave the place looking like a mess."

"But it's not like Noct's gonna care anyway. He likes the house just he way it is." Grunts Prompto as he headed towards the cleaning closet, clearly unsatisfied.

"It doesn't matter Prompto. It has to be done. Besides, it _is_ your cleaning shift anyway." Ignis replied calmly as he walked back to the kitchen.

Prompto mumbled words of complaint before casting magic onto the cleaning supplies. With a flick of a wrist, the mop, vacuum, duster, and cleaning solution came to life, following Prompto. He directed the instruments around the house, not letting any corner or area go untouched.

Back in the kitchen, Ignis disposed of the old cake, and remade the mix while the recipe for frosting and icing were making themselves. As he filled the round pans with the chocolaty mix, he shoved the pans into the oven and casted magic onto it.

"Oven, just bake it to its optimal temperature. I want it nice and spongy." Ignis ordered as he snapped his fingers. Immediately, the oven roared to life and began its duty, baking away. He scanned through the cookbook, trying to find the best design that fit the cake.

With the power of magic, Gladiolus was able to meld the silver headpiece with ease. He had no problem heating the metal as well, as the he casted Fire magic onto it, keeping it hot and malleable. The young man melded the silver at his will, and made the headpiece look similar to a raven's feather. It was designed to be wrapped around the ear and head for stability, and the decoration stood out prominently. He then cooled the heated metal with a cast of Blizzard, instantly cooling it. Finally, with an old rag and some polisher, Gladiolus cleaned the headpiece until it was sparkling.

The oven in the kitchen went off with a _Ding!_ and Ignis opened the door, retrieving the now baked cake. As he went to fetch the fruit from the fridge, the kitchen utensils went to work and covered the cake with black and white frosting. It was nothing fancy really, just one tier black and the other tier white. In addition, dollops of white icing were added to the cake in a simple fashion. Whilst cleaning, Prompto took notice of the finished royal headwear Gladiolus made.

"Oh, lookin' nice Gladio! It's really got that sophisticated touch!" The blonde complemented, giving his friend a thumbs up of approval.

"Thanks Prompto. I was thinking of adding some coloring to it, but I actually think it would be better if it stayed silver." He said as he put his hand to his chin, satisfied with his work.

"Nah, I think it should be gold." Prompto said as he flicked his wrist, changing the color.

"I'm the metal smither here, and I say it should be _silver_." Gladiolus said sternly, changing the color once again.

"Make it gold!" Another color change.

"Make it silver!" The headpiece was back to its regal silver.

Upset, Prompto went back to cleaning, but when Gladiolus wasn't looking, he pointed at the crown, finger-gun style, and fired his magic, changing the piece to a lustrous gold once again. Pleased, he resumed cleaning. Gladiolus turned around, shocked at the change of color. He changed it back to silver. Again, Prompto attempted to change the color; however, since he was not looking while shooting, he missed the crown entirely and his magic hit Gladiolus, turning the hefty metal smither's clothes all gold. The freckled blonde burst into tears at Gladiolus's new attire.

"You look like a pimp!" Prompto cried, slapping his knee. Furiously, Gladiolus returned his clothes to their normal color and aimed his magic at Prompto, changing the young blonde's clothes to all silver and iridescent. "Ghhk! What the hell Gladio?" His friend merely smirked.

"That's what happens when you mess with me." He stated, chin up high. Satisfied with his work, he resumed to fine tuning the headpiece. Suddenly his clothes were changed once again to that irritatingly shiny gold. He shot a glare at Prompto, who was too busy laughing to notice that Gladiolus worked his magic again. Prompto gasped at the change, and then glared back at his friend. How dare he try to ruin his clothes _again? This meant war._

The two Guardians flung color-changing magic at each other. _Silver. Gold. Silver. Gold. Silver. Gold._ The cycle never ended. Even as the magic-slingers battled, Ignis never took notice as he was decorating the cake with precise dexterity and exactness. Every decoration had to be evenly distributed before he could finish his part. With magic being shot rapidly from Gladiolus and Prompto's fingers, it bounced around the house, and went up to the only place that could end its path: the chimney chute. Hues of gold and silver flew out of the chute, rapidly changing back and forth. It was an unstoppable force.

Meanwhile, a deep crimson raven flew around the fields of Lucis, looking for any signs of the young prince. Tired, it spotted a forest for it to take a brief rest. Fortunately for the weary familiar, it noticed that in the forest, bright flashes of colored light were coming from it. Curious as to what it was, it flew down to the source of the light, and landed on top of a chimney of the house. It peered into the chimney before squawking and flapping away, almost getting hit the shimmery substance. It flew away into the trees where it could observe from a distance.

* * *

While the trio of surrogate family members were preparing for Noctis's surprise birthday party, Noctis himself wandered around the wood thinking about what he could do until Lightning arrived. The young prince decided to train, since the last time he self-trained felt like eons ago. He sauntered over to the lake where the rose-haired knight usually rested by, but there was no sign of her. Disappointed, he took the opportunity to train.

A few hours passed by and Noctis thoroughly wore himself out thanks to his training. He did his daily workout routine that Gladiolus always made him do, as well as basic and advanced swords play techniques. As he sat up from the ground, he noticed a figure riding in the distance. The dark-haired prince squinted his eyes, and then jumped up when he realized who was coming. He dusted himself off and checked himself for any visible stains. Lightning approached her close friend gracefully as she dismounted Odin. She greeted him warmly, a soft smile with a gentle voice. Noctis felt like he could melt, and best of all, he was sure that she only spoke like this to him, which only made him feeling more special.

"What'll we do today Noctis?" The rose-haired maiden asked as the three of them walked through the forest.

"Ah, I was thinking of just walking and talking I suppose, if you're okay with that. I didn't really have anything in mind today." Noctis replied, rubbing the back of his head. Lightning nodded politely.

The two walked quietly with Odin trailing along. None of them said a word, enjoying each other's company and the sounds of the forest that surrounded them. Echoes of songbirds rung through the forest as it was slowly becoming their bedtime. Unconsciously, Noctis would move a little closer to Lightning, and timed his steps with hers so both could be at an equal stride. Eventually the two found a nice place to rest, underneath the shade of the trees.

Noctis, "Hey Lightning? Can I ask a question?"

"Ask away." She replied, looking up at the sky. Noctis stared at her for a second, adoring how her rose-pink hair cascaded from her head down her shoulders. He wasn't entirely sure why he started noticing and admiring all of these little details.

"What're the parties like in the kingdom?"

She turned to face him, piqued somewhat at the odd question, "What brought this up?"

He shrugged, "I dunno. I've always wondered what they're like, especially after Ignis told me this one story… All of the parties in those kingdoms sound really extravagant and formal."

"Indeed they are." She nodded. "And what sort of stories did Ignis tell that made you wonder about activities in the kingdom?"

"Mostly fairy tales. I mean, he told me these stories when I was really young, of course. I'm not really sure why I'm thinking about them now but I guess it's just," He kicked a small stone on the ground, "I want to know what it's like being royalty and all, since you do serve under them."

Lightning smiled to herself; she admired his thirst for knowledge - he always wanted to learn something, even if it was irrelevant to his current lifestyle. "Well, usually a party held by the king and queen themselves would have a reason. Sometimes the reason could be very simple, some wanting to flaunt their wealth while others may use the time for the party to learn about one another's neighboring countries. One of the biggest features a kingdom or mansion may have is a ballroom. When it is time to dance, men and women will pair up with each other and dance, like this…"

She stood up, and grasped an imaginary shoulder with her left hand, while her right arm stretched outward, as if she was reaching for something, and she swayed left and right. "It looks sort of weird when I do it alone since you're supposed to have a dance partner, but this is the general idea."

Noctis smirked, "Is that an invitation for me to join you?" Lightning stopped swaying, putting her hands behind her back. Although that wasn't her intent, the idea of dancing with the young man was definitely not something she was against.

"Only if you wish to; I have no intentions of forcing you to dance with me." She said calmly, but her facial expression said otherwise - her cheeks were tainted with a light dusting of pink.

The dark-prince laughed a little as he walked over to his closest friend. Although he looked content and calm on the outside, deep down his heartbeat was drumming erratically. He bowed, like how princes greet princesses in the ballroom, but with less confident and less grace. He looked up at her shyly, waiting for approval. In return, she curtsied. She put her hands onto Noctis, and waited for him to do the same.

"I, uh, don't know where to put my hands." He said nervously. Silently, she guided his right hand to her waist, and his left hand with hers.

"Time your steps with mine." The rose-haired maiden instructed. The two stepped slowly as Noctis trying his best to time his footsteps with hers. After a few mistakes and small bits of laughter, Noctis was finally able to at least keep up with Lightning, and the two danced gracefully.

"You make it seem like you've done this before, Lightning."

She shook her head, "I haven't at all actually. But my time as a castle guard, before I became a knight that is, has made it easy to observe the attendees of the ballroom dances." They swayed to and fro, with Lightning taking the lead. Sometimes she would change the pace of the dance, going at feverish speeds. The prince had a hard time keeping up, his footing out of step with hers. He wondered if she was doing this on purpose. Looking up at her, her gaze was elsewhere, but it was obvious to him that she was enjoying this dance, loving the rush and freedom dancing gave her.

Suddenly she twirled out of his grasp, foot pointed at an angle and her free arm outstretched, and back into Noctis's arms, her back to his chest. She looked up at him, smiling with a hint of mischievousness, and then released her hands from his grasp while looking away. However, she did not leave her spot, staying very close to Noctis. It was a spontaneous move, and even she didn't realize what she was doing until afterwards. She cursed herself for acting like this; this wasn't some fairytale! She hoped that Noctis didn't think she was acting foolish and girly. But the young prince swallowed loudly, unsure as what to, especially with Lightning so close. He could hear her even breaths, and wondered if she was nervous as he. But as confidence as she was, Lightning was not used to being so bold.

"Did that quell your curiosity?" She asked, her warm presence leaving his side. He could only nod back. She giggled quietly, confidence building up.

"Then let's continue walking. It's getting close to sunset, and I want to find a good spot to watch it." Lightning said as she grasped Odin's reins, leading the way. Her hands shook as she walked, hoping her friend wasn't finding her actions unusual. However he was much to preoccupied with his own thoughts; Noctis stood for a brief second, trying to process what was going on.

"She wants to watch the sunset? Does that mean…?" He said to himself as his entire body felt heavy. His heart started racing again. He wouldn't be surprised if his heart exploded from overexertion. As he was thinking to himself, the young prince realized that Lightning had started off without him and was a distance away. Pushing his thoughts behind for later, he jogged to her so that they were at equal pace.

"I know a good place to watch the sunset." Noctis declared. An eyebrow raised.

"Do you?" Noctis smiled as he nodded. "Then lead the way."

After sometime of walking through the forest, the three of them came upon a clearing of a cliff. It wasn't terribly steep, but it was high up enough to see the sun and the sky, with the blazing star not too far from the ground. The wind blew the grass gently, giving the area a breath of fresh air and the songs of birds started to die down. Lightning sat down on the grass, her legs dangling from the cliff. Odin rested nearby, nestling his head onto his back. Noctis joined her anxiously, each step feeling like there were a thousand bricks in his shoes. He fidgeted with his hands, hoping it would be enough to distract him from his thumping heart.

"Isn't it wonderful, Noctis? I really love this time of day, it's so beautiful." Lightning commented, basking in the sun's light. Noctis swallowed loudly again.

"Yeah, it sure is." He muttered. " _But not as beautiful as you..."_ He thought to himself as he gazed at her as the sun's rays seemed to make her skin glow. It was just the right lighting and right angle, and Noctis was convinced that she was some sort of goddess. He sighed contently to himself; he felt like he could look at her forever.

Feeling a pair of eyes on her, she turned back to look at Noctis, wondering what he could be thinking. She already had a feeling that the raven-haired prince had some semblance of a crush on her (in fact, he made it incredibly obvious), but she was curious as to whether he would make a move or not. She would have preferred he did rather than she, as it was very difficult for her to convey these unfamiliar feelings - the feelings of attraction and budding love. For once in her life, she felt like a shy teenage girl.

"Lightning." She jumped a little at the sudden call of her name. "Can you, um, sing a song to me?" The rose-haired maiden turned to him, crossing her arms as if she was going on the defensive.

"And why would I do that?" She responded jokingly, smirking just a touch.

"'Cuz it's my birthday." He replied, almost boasting. Her eyes widened.

"It is?" She put her hand to her chin, trying to recall when or if Noctis ever mentioned his birthday. "You never told me." The young prince scratched the back of his head, a habit he could never drop.

"It just never occurred to me. But now I have a reason to tell you, so I can get you to sing for me." She giggled a little - what a trickster he was.

"Very well, birthday boy. I'll sing you a song." Noctis felt elated when she said that. A song, just for him, from his beloved. "Do you have a preference?" She asked as she combed her rose-colored hair with her fingers. He shook his head; it didn't matter to him what she sang. He knew that anything coming from her mouth would be wonderful. She cleared her throat and leaned back on her arms, preparing for her performance. Odin perked up just a touch at the subtle movement of his master. At first she started to hum the tune of the song, but then broke out into melody:

 _You rest inside my mind  
Since the day you came  
I knew you would be with me  
All the time we spent  
What we shared was surely  
Warm enough to know you cared for me  
Light floods through memories  
Helps me walk my path  
I'll keep my head up high  
Words of faith and love  
Your strength gives me hope  
Someday I'll find you with open arms_

The last couple of notes died down slowly as she reached the end of her song. She sighed heavily; a wave of melancholy washed over her. This was a song from her hometown, and one of Serah's favorites. Even know Lightning knew Serah would outgrow her and forge a new path in life, it still made her feel uneasy. But at the same time, she felt that she no longer had to worry about being left alone anymore; there was still someone there for her. She smiled quietly to herself as she turned her head, looking at Noctis. His mouth was open in awe. It was hard for him to describe how he felt about the song's lyrics, but Lightning undoubtedly impressed him yet again.

The rose-haired knight stared at him, awaiting a response from him. However he was deep in thought - no, a dream. Although this dream was not unfamiliar, it delved deeper than before. The young prince envisioned what it would be like if he and Lightning became more than friends: a couple. They would spend time together fishing or talking or sparring or dining. They would laugh and cry and help each other through their daily lives, and at the end of the day, he would ask her kindly to sing another song. And she would comply, singing softly as he peppered her with gentle kisses, a song just for him. Then after some years of being together, he'd finally propose, and she would gracefully accept. He and Lightning would be happy forever in marital bliss-

A voice called out, "Noctis." The daydream disappeared, and Noctis's mind returned to reality.

"Noctis?" His friend asked, a slight tinge of worry. It was unusual for him to wander off for this long. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

"Sorry Lightning, there's a lot on my mind." He said, playing with the sleeves of his shirt. Would now be a good time to confess? She hummed in response, her gaze returning to the sunset sky: bright red with a mix of oranges and pinks and purples. To say the sunset was simply amazing would be an understatement.

"Lightning, there's something I need to tell you." Noctis piped up. The rose-haired maiden turned to look at him once again, and nodded, beckoning him for an answer. He inhaled and exhaled rather noisily, prepping himself for what may come.

"You know, spending time with you made me realize what a great person you are. A-And I feel like I've known you for the longest time." A tinge of red started to spread on his cheeks as his face began to heat up. "And over the time I got to know you, I-"

A cell phone ringed.

Lightning reached in her pockets and retrieved her smartphone, answering the call. "Hello?"

A loud and unfamiliar voice, "Hey Lightning! Where are you?"

"Nyx? What is it?" She replied sternly.

"Did you forget? The Kingsglaive are holding a meeting and-" Her eyes widened.

"Shit, I can't believe I forgot!" She cursed as she began to get up, with Noctis following.

"You're usually the one on top of things, Ms. Warrior. What's gotten into you?" Nyx joked through the phone.

Lightning grit her teeth, "It's none of your business. I'll be there soon." That Nyx really got on her nerves sometimes.

"In a flash, right?" He laughed as his own joke, "Just don't be late or else you know who's gonna get mad."

"Yeah, yeah, alright. I'll see you soon." She ended the call as she packed away her belongings and mounted Odin.

"W-wait! I didn't get a chance to finish what I had to say." Noctis said desperately, running after her.

"It can wait. I really have to get going." Her usual stoic, cold tone of voice returned. She squeezed the sides of Odin, who cawed and began at a steady trot. Noctis chased after them, trying catch up.

"But it's important! Please Light-" The prince pleaded.

"Noctis, I'm sorry but it has to wait until tomorrow." Odin began to pick up the pace, going from a trot to a jog.

"Please-"

"Noctis, tomorrow." She retorted, a bit frustrated that Noctis wasn't getting the message. The giant feathered steed started to run.

"But I love you!" He blurted out, instantly covering up his mouth. The young prince felt like melting into oblivion; he wanted to confess but not in such a dramatic and cliché way. But his sudden confession caused Lightning to halt Odin. She hopped off of the saddle and walked over to her dark-haired prince.

"You're… in love with me." She stated slowly, the words rolling off of her tongue. The prince nodded, his hands still covering his flustered red face. Lightning sighed, he never stopped surprising her. Then again, Lightning already knew that he felt this way.

"I was going to tell you that earlier but you got that call..." Noctis started as he removed his hands from his face. He looked down at the ground, trying to avert her gaze as he ruffled his hair.

"It's alright." She replied simply. He looked at her with surprise.

"It is?"

He suddenly felt something warm on his left cheek and it disappeared just as quickly as it came. Lightning's lips left the side of his face as she looked at him with a soft gaze.

"We can see each other tomorrow. I'll come by tomorrow if you'd like." She offered a bit shyly.

Dazed, the prince replied, "Y-yeah…"

"Then I'll see you tomorrow. And Happy Birthday Noctis." With that, the young knight boarded her chocobo, and the pair left the woods as they made their way to the castle. Noctis stood still, still trying to process what went on. Lightning kissed him. Lightning _kissed_ him. As he realized what entailed, his eyes beamed: Lightning felt the same! He yipped and cried out, elated with the realization that, yes, the woman he was in love with most felt the same way. He did sprints up and down the fields, throwing his arms up in celebration as he fell to the ground, laughing like a child on a sugar high. As the laughter died down, he sighed happily. Burned out from his brief celebration, he picked himself up as he came to a thought: he should tell the parents the wonderful news! And so the young prince dashed back to his home in the forest, incredibly excited to tell them the absolutely wonderful thing that just happened to him.


End file.
